Rhyssa persuasoria (Linnaeus, 1758)
(Sabre Wasp)

Taxonomic hierarchy:
SpeciesRhyssa persuasoria (Sabre Wasp)
SubfamilyRHYSSINAE (rhyssine ichneumon wasps)
FamilyICHNEUMONIDAE (ichneumon wasps)
SuperfamilyICHNEUMONOIDEA (braconid and ichneumon parasitic wasps)
SuborderAPOCRITA (bees, wasps, ants and parasitoids)
OrderHYMENOPTERA (ants, bees and wasps, sawflies and parasitoid wasps)
Division Endopterygota (bees, beetles, flies, moths and other insects with wings developing internally)
InfraclassNeoptera (bees, beetles, flies, grasshoppers, moths and other advanced insects)
SubclassPTERYGOTA (bees, beetles, dragonflies, flies, grasshoppers, moths and other winged insects)
ClassINSECTA (true insects)
SubphylumHEXAPODA (insects and other 6-legged organisms)
PhylumARTHROPODA (arthropods)
SuperphylumECDYSOZOA (skin shedders)
CladeBilateria (bilaterally symmetrical animals)
SubkingdomEUMETAZOA (metazoans)
KingdomANIMALIA (animals)
DomainEukaryota (eukaryotes)
LifeBIOTA (living things)
Records of Rhyssa persuasoria (Sabre Wasp) :
1: Rhyssa persuasoria (Sabre Wasp)
7 May 2023 OSGR: SU22 51° 0’ N, 1° 40’ W Vice County: South Wilts (VC 8) England
3 males, on conifer logs on woodpile
Image 1: Male - dorsal view - close-up - silver backgroundImage 2: Male - dorsal view - close-up - silver background (2)Image 3: Male - dorsal view - silver backgroundImage 4: Male - dorsal view - silver background (2)Image 5: Male - lateral view - close-up - silver backgroundImage 6: Male - lateral view - silver backgroundImage 7: Male - head and antennal bases - anterior view - magnified - silver backgroundImage 8: Male - head and antennal bases - lateral view - highly enlarged - silver backgroundImage 9: Male - head and antennal bases - postero-dorsal view - close-up - magnified - silver backgroundImage 10: Male - head and antennal bases - postero-dorsal view - magnified - silver backgroundImage 11: Male - head and fore coxae - ventral view - magnified - silver backgroundImage 12: Male - head and mesosoma - antero-dorsal view - highly enlarged - silver backgroundImage 13: Male - head and mesosoma - lateral view - highly enlarged - silver backgroundImage 14: Male - head - anterior view - magnified - silver backgroundImage 15: Male - head - dorsal view - highly enlarged - silver backgroundImage 16: Male - head - ventral view - magnified - silver backgroundImage 17: Male - mesosoma - dorsal view - highly enlarged - silver backgroundImage 18: Male - mesosoma - lateral view - highly enlarged - silver backgroundImage 19: Male - mesosternum and mid coxae - ventral view - magnified - silver backgroundImage 20: Male - mesosternum and posterior coxae - ventral view - magnified - silver backgroundImage 21: Male - petiole and T2 - dorsal view - magnified - silver backgroundImage 22: Male - petiole - lateral view - magnified - silver backgroundImage 23: Male - propodeum and petiole - lateral view - magnified - silver backgroundImage 24: Male - propodeum - lateral view - magnified - silver backgroundImage 25: Male - scutellum and propodeum - dorsal view - close-up - magnified - silver backgroundImage 26: Male - scutellum and propodeum - dorsal view - magnified - silver backgroundImage 27: Male - ventral view - close-up - enlarged - silver background
2: Rhyssa persuasoria (Sabre Wasp)
1 Jul 2021 OSGR: SO77 52° 20’ N, 2° 20’ W Vice County: Worcs (VC 37) England
2 females
Image 1: Female - dorsal view - close-up - pale backgroundImage 2: Female - dorsal view - close-up - white backgroundImage 3: Female - dorsal view - pale backgroundImage 4: Female - dorsal view - white backgroundImage 5: Female - lateral view - white backgroundImage 6: Female - head and antennal bases - anterior view - magnified - silver backgroundImage 7: Female - head and antennal bases - dorsal view - highly enlarged - silver backgroundImage 8: Female - head and antennal bases - lateral view - magnified - silver backgroundImage 9: Female - head and mesosoma - antero-dorsal view - highly enlarged - silver backgroundImage 10: Female - head and mesosoma - lateral view - highly enlarged - silver backgroundImage 11: Female - head and mesosoma - postero-dorsal view - highly enlarged - silver backgroundImage 12: Female - head and pronotum - lateral view - magnified - silver backgroundImage 13: Female - head and prothorax - dorsal view - highly enlarged - silver backgroundImage 14: Female - head and thorax - ventral view - highly enlarged - silver backgroundImage 15: Female - head - anterior view - magnified - silver backgroundImage 16: Female - head - antero-dorsal view - highly enlarged - silver backgroundImage 17: Female - head - dorsal view - highly enlarged - silver backgroundImage 18: Female - head - lateral view - highly enlarged - silver backgroundImage 19: Female - head - postero-dorsal view - highly enlarged - silver backgroundImage 20: Female - head - ventral view - highly enlarged - silver backgroundImage 21: Female - mesosoma - dorsal view - highly enlarged - silver backgroundImage 22: Female - mesosoma - dorsal view - highly enlarged - silver background (2)Image 23: Female - mesosternum - ventral view - highly enlarged - silver backgroundImage 24: Female - petiole - dorsal view - magnified - silver backgroundImage 25: Female - propodeum and petiole - dorsal view - magnified - silver backgroundImage 26: Female - propodeum and petiole - lateral view - magnified - silver backgroundImage 27: Female - scutellum and propodeum - dorsal view - highly enlarged - silver backgroundImage 28: Female - ventral view - close-up - enlarged - white backgroundImage 29: Female - ovipositor tip - lateral view - microscope low magnification - silver background
3: Rhyssa persuasoria (Sabre Wasp)
3 Aug 1971 OSGR: SX84 50° 20’ N, 3° 40’ W Vice County: South Devon (VC 3) England
Female, egg laying in cut wood
Image 1: 1. Side view - close-upImage 2: 2. Starting to drillImage 3: 3. Ovipositor well into wood - dorsolateral viewImage 4: 4. Ovipositor well into wood - lateral viewImage 5: 5. Ovipositor well into wood - anterior viewImage 6: 6. Ovipositor well into wood - laterodorsal view

Identification Works

AuthorYearTitleSource
Horstmann, K. 2002 Revisionen von Schlupfwespen-Arten VI (Hymenoptera: Ichneumonidae) Mitt. Munch. Em. Ges. Vol 92: 79-91.
Spradbery, J.P. & Ratkowsky, D.A. 1974 An analysis of geographical variation in the parasitoid Rhyssa persuasoria (L.) (Hymenoptera, Ichneumonidae) Bulletin of Entomological Research Vol 64: 653-668.
Spradbery, J.P. 1970 The immature stages of European ichneumonid parasites of siricine woodwasps Proceedings of the Royal Entomological Society of London. Series A, General Entomology Vol 45: 13-28.

Rhyssa persuasoria (Sabre Wasp) may also be included in identification literature listed under the following higher taxa:

NBNNBN (data.nbn.org.uk) has a distribution map for Rhyssa persuasoria (Sabre Wasp)
BioInfoBioInfo (www.bioinfo.org.uk) has 0 host/parasite/foodplant and/or other relationships for Rhyssa persuasoria (Sabre Wasp)
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