This Therion Wasp is approximately 1.5 inches long. The eyes are round and black. The thorax is brown and black. The abdomen is slender, long and dark reddish brown to black at the tip. The wings are smoky black. The antennae are orange. The legs are yellow. This wasp was identified to the genus Therion by volunteer experts at the BugGuide website
The frequency of occurrence of this wasp is not known. It has been photographed once in Fontenelle Forest in early September.
This wasp belongs to the subfamily Anomaloninae. Therion wasps are known to use large caterpillars for hosts. The female wasp oviposits into the host larva at an early stage of development. The wasp larva feeds on the caterpillar as an internal parasite. It pupates in the host and stays there until it emerges as an adult wasp.
The content of NatureSearch is provided by dedicated volunteer Naturalists of Fontenelle Forest who strive to provide the most accurate information available. Contributors of the images retain their copyrights. The point of contact for this page is: Loren Padelford.