''Echthromorpha intricatoria'', also known as the cream-spotted ichneumon, is a common wasp found in

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...

and

New Zealand New Zealand () is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and List of islands of New Zealand, over 600 smaller islands. It is the List of isla ...

. It cannot sting and does not build nests, and is harmless to humans. The female injects eggs into

pupae A pupa (; : pupae) is the life stage of some insects undergoing transformation between immature and mature stages. Insects that go through a pupal stage are holometabolous: they go through four distinct stages in their life cycle, the stages th ...

of moths and butterflies with the

ovipositor The ovipositor is a tube-like organ used by some animals, especially insects, for the laying of eggs. In insects, an ovipositor consists of a maximum of three pairs of appendages. The details and morphology of the ovipositor vary, but typica ...

, particularly favouring the

Nymphalidae The Nymphalidae are the largest family of butterflies, with more than 6,000 species distributed throughout most of the world. Belonging to the superfamily Papilionoidea, they are usually medium-sized to large butterflies. Most species ha ...

(admiral family). '' Metacrias huttoni'' has been shown to be a host species for ''E. intricatoria''. The body is mostly black with creamy plates on the sides of the abdomen. The clear wings have a span of around . Antennae and legs are orange.

Gallery

Echthromorpha intricatoria (19111642829).jpg, Male Echthromorpha intricatoria (NZAC06000844).jpg, Female

References

Ichneumonidae Hymenoptera of Australia Hymenoptera of New Zealand Insects described in 1804 {{Ichneumonidae-stub