Lemon tree borer parasite
Photo by Tom Parsons
Xanthocryptus novozealandicus (Dalla Torre)
Order: Hymenoptera
Family: Ichneumonidae
Size range
- 10–20 mm long
Distribution
- A native insect, widely distributed throughout NZ
Life History
- Female lays eggs in larvae of lemon tree borer grubs
- Long ovipositor able to drill through wood
- Wasp larva develops by feeding within the body of the beetle grub
- Antennae twitch while searching for grub.
