Posted by ChrisR on 08-06-2006 16:22
#10
I think there is a little confusion here - a few Ich* words have been used, which you might not be familiar with:
* Ichneumonoidea = a superfamily
* Ichneumonidae = a family
* Ichneumoninae = a subfamily
* Ichneumonini = a tribe
*
Ichneumon = a genus
So, genus
Amblyjoppa is in: superfamily Ichneumonoidea; family Ichneumonidae; subfamily Ichneumoninae. But NOT tribe Ichneumonini and certainly not genus
Ichneumon.
Amblyjoppa (in my books) is actually in tribe Protichneumonini. :)
As for online keys, that is very very unlikely. Most of the keys to the parasitic hymenoptera are very old, very out of date and were published many years ago - though you can still find them if you go to a good entomological library. But remember you must spend a long time keying a
specimen through before you'll get an identification. :o
You might be able to find some images out on the web (though I couldn't find any) but, as I said before, there are very many species that look similar so images are a very bad way to identify most parasitic hymenoptera. ;)
Sorry to sound so pesimistic but I have done a fair bit of work with parasitic hymenoptera and I know they are one of the hardest groups for a beginner to get in to. :(
Edited by ChrisR on 08-06-2006 16:23