Uncommon Ichneumonid Wasp Sighting

Observation by Janet Mitchell:

Gus Kowunna was collecting eggs at Cape Thompson 50 miles South of Pt. Hope when he came across this red bug that landed on him.

Comments from LEO Editors:

This looks like an ichneumonid wasp. These are parasitoid wasps that belong to the order Hymenoptera, which includes bees, ants, sawflies, and wasps. Parasitoid wasps use the long appendage at the end of its body, called an ovipositor, to lay eggs inside its prey. These wasps usually prey on beetles (order Coleoptera), butterflies, and moths (order Lepidoptera), and other species of Hymenoptera. The larvae consume the prey after hatching.

LEO has received two other observations of ichneumonid wasps, one from Pilot Point and the other from King Cove. Although ichneumonid wasps are present all across North America, this is the northernmost observation that LEO has received.