Apex-parasitoid
Guides
Ichneumonidae
Ichneumonid wasps, Darwin wasps, Ichneumon wasps
Ichneumonidae is a family of parasitoid wasps within Hymenoptera, representing one of the most diverse insect families with approximately 25,000 described species and estimates of 60,000–100,000+ total species worldwide. Members are exclusively parasitoids, attacking immature stages of holometabolous insects and spiders, with larvae consuming living hosts before emergence. The family plays significant regulatory roles in insect populations across natural and agricultural ecosystems.