Ophioninae

Ophioninae
Ophion luteus
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Clade: Pancrustacea
Class: Insecta
Order: Hymenoptera
Family: Ichneumonidae
Subfamily: Ophioninae
Tribes

Ophionini
Enicospilini
Thyreodonini

Ophioninae is a cosmopolitan subfamily of Ichneumonidae, comprising 33 genera and exhibiting high diversity in tropical regions. They are primarily koinobiont endoparasitoids of larval Lepidoptera, although at least one species[which?] parasitizes Scarabaeidae (Coleoptera). Pupae of Ophioninae are ovoid and feature a distinct central pale band, which is a characteristic trait of this subfamily. These insects are typically large, slender, and orange, with compressed and curved abdomens. They possess prominent ocelli and are primarily active during the night, often being attracted to light sources.

Genera

Rousse et al. classified 13 of the genera of Ophioninae between 3 tribes, with the remaining genera unplaced to a tribe. The possibility of erecting a fourth tribe for the derived genera Hellwigia and Skiapus was also presented tentatively.

Tribe Enicospilini

Tribe Ophionini

Tribe Thyreodonini

Tribe incertae sedis

References

  1. 1 2 3 Rousse, Pascal; Quicke, Donald L.J.; Matthee, Conrad A.; Lefeuvre, Pierre; van Noort, Simon (2016). "A molecular and morphological reassessment of the phylogeny of the subfamily Ophioninae (Hymenoptera: Ichneumonidae)". Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society. 178 (1): 128–148. doi:10.1111/zoj.12405.
  2. 1 2 Niklas, Johansson (2021). "Contribution to the subfamily Ophioninae (Hymenoptera: Ichneumonidae) of Southern Europe with the description of one new genus and 15 new species". Zootaxa. 5023 (3): 301–334. doi:10.11646/zootaxa.5023.3.1.
  3. ↑ van Noort, Simon. "Ophioninae". WaspWeb: Hymenoptera of the World. Iziko Museums of South Africa. Retrieved 2026-04-17.
  4. ↑ Gauld, Ian D.; Wahl, David B. "Subfamily Ophioninae". The American Entomological Institute. Retrieved 2026-04-17.
  5. ↑ Shaw, Mark R.; Voogd, Jeroen (2019-04-30). "Notes on the biology, morphology and generic placement of "Hellwigia" obscura Gravenhorst (Hymenoptera: Ichneumonidae, Ophioninae)". Journal of Hymenoptera Research. 69: 39–53. doi:10.3897/jhr.69.33662. ISSN 1314-2607.