http://i33.tinypic.com/tywqd.jpg
I found this inside our house last month. It was on our sliding glass door and was flicking its two front legs upward when I saw it. What is it, and what kind of behavior was the weird leg-flicking?
Chosen Answer:
That is a Short-Tailed Ichneumon (Wasp) {Ophion spp.} It is a form of parasitical wasp in the Family Ichneumonidae in the Subfamily Ophioninae.
http://bugguide.net/node/view/99054 +ID
http://bugguide.net/node/view/99956 +ID
http://bugguide.net/node/view/174770 best pic I could find.
http://bugguide.net/node/view/99956 several specimens
This wasp inspired the motion picture blockbuster ‘Alien’, exhibiting the same violent break out of their host, which is typically caterpillars of butterflies and moths.
I don’t know about the leg flicking, but the female taps with her antennae, detecting and localizing through scent and vibrations that indicate a host is present.
by: Robert
on: 24th October 09
