Rhyssa


Rhyssa is a genus of ichneumon wasps belonging to the family Ichneumonidae subfamily Rhyssinae.

Etymology

The Latin name of the genus comes from the Greek and means "wrinkled".

Description

Female of this parasitic species drills deep into wood by its hair thin ovipositor and lays its eggs on larvae living in timber, which become a food supply and an incubator for the progeny, until it is fully grown.

Distribution

Species of this genus are present in most of Europe, in the Australian Region, in the Near East, in the Nearctic ecozone in the Oriental ecozone and in North Africa.

Selected species

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