Ichneumon Wasp (Lissopimpla excelsa) (2/3)

Hymenoptera: Ichneumonidae

Lissopimpla excelsa  

This is a female Orchid Dupe Wasp. The black protuberance at the end of her body is an ovipositor with which she skewers caterpillars in order to insert an egg in them. The larva that hatches from the egg will eat the living host caterpillar from the inside.

The name derives from the fact that males are "duped" into having "sex" with orchid flowers with female wasp mimicking parts, thereby assisting with pollination when the wasp has multiple orchid "partners".

The male Orchid Dupe Wasp obviously isn't the sharpest tool in the shed but he probably smells nice.