Europe and parts of temperate Asia
Fine-art photographic collection
Coelichneumon deliratorius
A solitary wasp whose offspring develops at the expense of a moth hidden inside its pupa.
About this species
Coelichneumon deliratorius(Linnaeus, 1758)
Information reviewed17 July 2026
Coelichneumon deliratorius is an ichneumon wasp recorded across Europe and temperate Asia. The female searches for moth hosts rather than building a nest; the developing wasp completes its growth within the host and the adult emerges from the host pupa.
Taxonomy
Animalia · Arthropoda · Insecta · Hymenoptera · Ichneumonidae · Coelichneumon
Source checked · checked 2026-07-17
Europe and parts of temperate AsiaBroad documented Palaearctic range and representative anchors — not a complete occurrence map.
Woodland edges, heath, scrub and other well-vegetated habitats supporting suitable moth hosts.
Adults are recorded mainly from June to August.
Adults take nectar and other sugary liquids; larvae are parasitoids of moths.
Solitary parasitoid wasp.
What makes this species remarkable?
A female does not provision a nest: she converts a living moth host into the complete food supply for one developing offspring.
Published host records include the pine hawk-moth and the bright-line brown-eye, with the adult wasp emerging from the host pupa.
Its black, red and white abdominal pattern is strongly sex-dependent, so males and females can look strikingly different while belonging to the same species.