Xanthocryptus novozealandicus

Description

Xanthocryptus novozealandicus, the lemon tree borer parasite, is a wasp in the family Ichneumonidae. It is a native insect of New Zealand. It is also found in Australia and New Guinea. Females hunt for larvae of wood-boring beetles around March, including the lemon tree borer (Oemona hirta), a native cerambycid that tunnels into citrus trees, grapes and many native species. When a suitable host is found, the female pushes her ovipositor through the wood and injects her eggs into the grub. This has the incidental benefit of helping to control some pests. X. novozealandicus prefers to prey on second year lemon tree borer larvae. X. novozealandicus has a black and white body with white stripes on the abdomen. Their long antennae are black with a white band in the middle. Legs are orange, black and white. The female X. novozealandicus is larger than the male of the species, with the female reaching between 9 and 15mm long, while the males are between 5 and 11mm long.