HYMENOPTERA > APOCRITA | Parasitica > Ichneumonidae > Ichneumoninae > Ichneumonini

Vulgichneumon saturatorius is another poorly recorded species with no more than thirty entries on the NBN Atlas database at the time of writing. Fortunately, four of these sightings came from my local area and, coincidently, were all recorded by the same ichneumon expert who confirmed that my identity of this individual was indeed correct.

They can be pretty much distinguished by their general appearance being a mainly dark species with red legs, but with a white spot at the base of the thorax coupled with twin white tail-spots on tergites T6 & T7. The antennae have a conspicuous broad white band about halfway down. However, that description also applies to the very similar, albeit even rarer, Vulgichneumon bimaculatus, but that species has white hind trochanters and a shortly protruding ovipositor, whereas in these photos you can see that the ovipositor is virtually hidden.

New species added, March 25 (v.1)