Ichneumon (genus) explained

Ichneumon is a genus of parasitoid wasps in the family Ichneumonidae.

Selected species

This genus includes about 270 species:

• Ichneumon eumerus Wesmael, 1857
• Ichneumon extensorius Linnaeus, 1758
• Ichneumon insidiosus Wesmael, 1844
• Ichneumon nyassae Heinrich, 1967
• Ichneumon rubriornatus Cameron, 1904
• Ichneumon sarcitorius Linnaeus, 1758
• Ichneumon tottor Thunberg, 1822
• Ichneumon unicinctus Brullé, 1846
• Ichneumon centrator Say, 1825

Cultural significance

In the eighteenth century Ichneumon was regarded as an instance of the God-given balance in nature; in the nineteenth the possibility of using it as a form of biocontrol was briefly entertained. It was used as the symbol of the reformed Entomological Society of London in 1833.^[1]

References

• Biolib
• Waspweb

Notes and References

1. The British Journal for the History of Science V48:4. The British Journal for the History of Science . December 2015. 48 . 4 . 639–660 . Cambridge University Press. 10.1017/S000708741500062X . Wille . Sheila . 26502951 .