Widespread across the Palaearctic, including much of Europe, Britain and Ireland, and extending eastwards into Asia.
Fine-art photographic collection
Amblyteles armatorius
A conspicuous parasitoid wasp whose larvae develop in moth hosts.
About this species
Ichneumon wasp
Amblyteles armatorius(Förster, 1771)
Information reviewed15 July 2026
Amblyteles armatorius is a large yellow-and-black ichneumon wasp with a broad Palaearctic distribution. Adults feed at flowers, especially umbellifers, while the developing larva is a parasitoid of moth hosts. Females locate a suitable host and the wasp larva completes its development at the host’s expense.
Taxonomy
Animalia · Arthropoda · Insecta · Hymenoptera · Ichneumonidae · Ichneumoninae · Amblyteles
Accepted · checked 2026-07-15
Europe and temperate western EurasiaBroad documented range — not a complete occurrence map.
Hedgerows, meadows, woodland edges and other flower-rich habitats where adult wasps can feed and moth hosts occur.
Adults are commonly seen from late spring into summer; adult females can overwinter in sheltered cavities.
Adults take nectar and pollen. Larvae are parasitoids of moths, particularly noctuid hosts.
Solitary parasitoid.
What makes this species remarkable?
The female has a very short ovipositor that does not project prominently beyond the abdomen.
Genome sequencing has produced a reference assembly for this species.
Its larvae have been recorded emerging from moth pupae in genera including Xestia and Noctua.