Orthopelma
Taschenberg, 1865
Orthopelma is a Holarctic of , the sole genus in the Orthopelmatinae (Ichneumonidae). are idiobiont endoparasitoids that develop within cynipid galls on Rosaceae, primarily attacking gall wasps in the genus Diplolepis on Rosa species. The genus contains 13 extant species distributed across the Nearctic and Palearctic regions.
Pronunciation
How to pronounce Orthopelma: //ˌɔːrθoʊˈpɛlmə//
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Identification
The Orthopelmatinae distinguishes Orthopelma from all other Ichneumonidae. -level identification requires examination of morphological characters detailed in dichotomous keys for East Asian and Holarctic faunas.
Images
Habitat
Found within cynipid galls on Rosaceae plants, particularly galls induced by Diplolepis on roses (Rosa). Nearctic records also include galls of Diastrophus on Rubus.
Distribution
Holarctic: documented from Denmark, Norway, Sweden, and across North America and Eurasia including China, Japan, and Russia.
Host Associations
- Diplolepis eglanteriae - (-larval )O. mediator emerges from galls of this
- Diplolepis nervosa - (-larval )O. mediator emerges from galls of this
- Diplolepis mayri - (-larval )O. brevicorne emerges from galls of this
- Diplolepis rosae - (-larval )O. brevicorne emerges from galls of this
- Diplolepis nezha - O. aobing described from galls of this on Rosa chinensis var. spontanea
- Diastrophus - Nearctic records from galls on Rubus
- Rosa - plantPrimary plant for associated gall wasps
- Rubus - plant plant for Nearctic Diastrophus records
Life Cycle
Oviposition occurs into of gall-forming . Larvae develop as idiobiont endoparasitoids within host galls, with at least some (O. chinensis) having larvae that overwinter within galls.
Behavior
Females exhibit -searching to locate galls containing host . O. brevicorne has been observed showing preference for smaller host galls.
Ecological Role
Primary regulating of cynipid gall wasps (Cynipoidea) on Rosaceae.
Similar Taxa
- Trematopygus vellicariusAlso oviposits into ; distinguished by placement in Ctenopelmatinae rather than Orthopelmatinae
Sources and further reading
- BugGuide
- Wikipedia
- GBIF taxonomy match
- iNaturalist taxon
- NCBI Taxonomy
- Catalogue of Life
- A new species of the genus Orthopelma (Hymenoptera: Ichneumonidae: Orthopelmatinae) from China
- On the biology of two parasitoids of rose gall wasps (Diplolepis spp. (Hymenoptera: Diplolepididae)), Orthopelma mediator (Thunberg, 1822) and Orthopelma brevicorne Morley, 1907 (Hymenoptera: Ichneumonidae: Orthopelmatinae), with a world list of Ichneumonidae known to oviposit into the host egg
- New species of rose gall wasp Diplolepis Geoffroy, 1762 (Hymenoptera: Diplolepididae) and its parasitoid Orthopelma Taschenberg, 1865 (Hymenoptera: Ichneumonidae) on a rare endemic rose species in Sichuan, China