Ophion (insect)

This article is about genus of wasps. For the Greek mythological figure, see Ophion.

Ophion is a genus of ichneumonid wasps, which are nocturnal, parasitic, and often seen at lights. They are mostly orange to yellow in color, and are endoparasites of insect larvae, particularly Lepidoptera. They are very diverse but morphologically very similar. They have a worldwide distribution but the majority of species are found in the temperate zone.

Ophion
Ophion sp. photographed in Virginia
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Class:	Insecta
Order:	Hymenoptera
Family:	Ichneumonidae
Tribe:	Ophionini
Genus:	Ophion Fabricius, 1798

The genus Ophion is distinguished by the absence of a transverse keel on the hind mesosternum. They also have a long membranous flange to the spur on the foretibia.^[1] They are within the same tribe as Afrophion, Alophophion, Xylophion, Sclerophion, and Rhopalophion.^[2]

Species

There are 17 species of Ophion described from the Nearctic and 79 in the Palearctic.^[1]