Ichneumon wasps

Ichneumonidae

The ichneumon wasps (ichneumon wasps in the narrower sense) are the most species-rich insect family in our country with around 22,000 described species. However, it is estimated that at least 60,000-1000,000 species exist worldwide! Most species occur in the warmer zones of the earth. There are 5700 species in Europe and 2000 species in the British Isles. The imagines are relatively large animals (usually around 5 mm). Some groups, including the best-known representative Rhyssa, can even reach a body length of 5 cm. The wings are typically equipped with a rich wing vein, but there are also a number of apterous (wingless) species.