Europe and temperate western Asia
Fine-art photographic collection
Ophion obscuratus
A nocturnal caterpillar parasitoid whose familiar name concealed an unexpected swarm of cryptic species.
About this species
Ophion obscuratusFabricius, 1798
Information reviewed15 July 2026
Ophion obscuratus is a slender orange ichneumon wasp associated with noctuid caterpillars. Modern revisionary work has shown that specimens formerly grouped under this name include several closely similar species, so older records require caution.
Taxonomy
Animalia · Arthropoda · Insecta · Hymenoptera · Ichneumonidae · Ophion
Accepted taxon; historical records have often included several cryptic species in an obscuratus aggregate. · checked 2026-07-15
Europe and temperate western AsiaBroad range and selected reference localities — not a complete occurrence map.
Woodland, heath, grassland and gardens where noctuid moth hosts occur.
Nocturnal and frequently attracted to artificial light.
Adults take nectar; the developing larva consumes a caterpillar host internally.
Solitary parasitoid.
What makes this species remarkable?
A revision combining more than 4,800 specimens with DNA data recognised 41 Swedish Ophion species, including 18 new to science, exposing immense hidden diversity.
Its enlarged eyes and ocelli are adaptations for night flight, allowing the wasp to search for caterpillars when many diurnal hunters are inactive.
A female places an egg in or on a living noctuid caterpillar; the parasitoid develops with the host and kills it near the end of larval growth.
More photographs
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