HYMENOPTERA > APOCRITA | Parasitica > Ichneumonidae > Ichneumoninae > Ichneumonini

At a quick glance this species could be confused with the aptly named, more common, Ichneumon confusor, except that it has three, rather than two, final tergites that are marked with white. It is actually in the Ichneumon bucculentus/gracilicornis group, and distinguishable as the former by the slightly less pointed antennal tip and shorter first segment, otherwise the two species are extremely similar.

These two females were found in torpor, overwintering under a large piece of loose bark on an old felled conifer trunk. They were inadvertently uncovered whilst looking for springtails and mites, so after a few quick photos I made sure that the bark was carefully replaced. In the Ichneumon genus, I believe that it is only the females that, already pregnant, will see out the colder months only emerging when their host species are starting to appear. All of the Ichneumoninae are endoparasitoids of Lepidopteran species ovipositing into either their associated host's pupa or lava.