354 Hymenoptera in America North of Mexico 



Type-species: Ichneumon clavator Fabricius. Desig. by Ashmead, 1900. The 

 type-species is regarded as a synonym of M. gigas (Laxmann). 

 Megarhyssa Ashmead, 1900. Canad. Ent. 32: 368. N. name for Thalessa Holmgren. 

 Megalorkyssa Schulz, 1906. Spolia Hym., p. 115. Emend. 



Eurhyssa Derksen, 1941. Ztschr. f. Morph. U. Oekol. der Tiere 37: 721. Name invalid; 

 type-species not designated except subsequently by Townes and Townes, 1951 as 

 Ichneumon superbtis Schrank. 



In eastern North America the three species of Megarhyssa which are common in hardwood 

 forests—a ira fa (Linnaeus), macrurus (Linnaeus), and greenei (Viereck)— all show rather marked, 

 more or less clinal, geographic variation in the coloration of the wings, particularly in the 

 females. Specimens from the northern range extremities often have wings which are nearly 

 clear, while the wings of those from the southern range extremities are most deeply or most 

 uniformly infuscate. In macnincs and greenei subspecific distinctions have been made near the 

 southern extremities of the ranges, and in the case of atrata a subspecific distinction has been 

 made near the northern extremity of the range. I do not believe it is meaningful to treat these 

 particular peripheral variants as subspecies. 



Revision: Michener, 1939. Pan-Pacific Ent. 15: 126-131. 



Biology: Heatwole, Davis, and Wenner, 1962. Ztschr. f. Tierpsychol. 19: 652-664. — Heatwole, 

 Davis, and Wenner, 1964. Amer. Midland Nat. 71: 374-381. —Cameron, 1965. 

 Commonwealth Inst. Biol. Control, Tech. Bui. 5: 22. 

 atrata (Fabricius). N. S. s. to Ga., w. to Wyo. and Tex. Host: Tremex columba (L.). 

 Ichneuvion atratus Fabricius, 1781. Species Insectorum, v. 1, p. 436. 9. 

 Ichnetimon tenebrator Thunberg, 1822; 1824. Acad. Imp. des Sci. St. Petersburg, Mem. 8: 



266; 9: 322. Unnecessarily proposed n. name for atratus Fabricius. 

 Rhyssa laevigata BruUe, 1846. In Lepeletier, Hist. Nat. Ins. Hym., v. 4, p. 78. 6 . 

 Megarhyssa atrata lineata Porter, 1957. Ent. News 68: 206. 9. N. syn. 



Biology: Harris, 1842. Rpt. Ins. Mass. Injurious to Veg., p. 391. —Walsh, 1867. Pract. Ent. 2: 

 118. -Walsh and Riley, 1868. Amer. Ent. 1: 77. —Harrington, 1882. Canad. Ent. 14: 82. 

 — Lintner, 1883. Cultivator and Country Gentleman 48: 561. —Harrington, 1883. Ent. Soc. 

 Ontario, Ann. Rpt. 13: 23-24. —Harrington, 1887. Canad. Ent. 19: 206-209. —Harrington, 

 1888. Ent. Soc. Ontario, Ann. Rpt. 18: 25. —Lintner, 1897. Cultivator and Country 

 Gentleman 62: 506. — Fyles, 1916. Ent. Soc. Ontario, Ann. Rpt. 46: 54, 57. — Macnamara, 

 1916. Ent. Soc. Ontario, Ann. Rpt. 46: 59. — Champlain, 1921. Ent. News 32: 241. 

 — Blackman and Stage, 1924. N. Y. State Col. Forestry, Syracuse Univ., Tech. Pub. 17: 178. 

 — Klugh, 1932. Amer. Photog. 26: 158. — Kaston, 1937. Conn. (State) Agr. Expt. Sta., Bui. 

 396: 359. —Proctor, 1938. Biol. Survey Mt. Desert Region, v. 6, p. 406. — Fattig, 1949. Ent. 

 News 40: 69-71. 



Morphology: Snodgrass, 1933. Smithsn. Inst. Misc. Collect. 89 (8): 112-114. 

 greenei Viereck. N. S. s. to Fla., w. to Minn., e. Kans., and Miss. Host: Tremex columba (L.). 

 Megarhyssa greenei Viereck, 1910. In Smith, N. J. State Mus., Ann. Rpt. for 1909, p. 627. 



Nomen nudum. 

 Megarhyssa greenei Viereck, 1911. U. S. Natl. Mus., Proc. 40: 191. cJ, 9. 

 Megarhyssa greenei floridana Townes, 1960. U. S. Natl. Mus. Bui. 216 (pt. 2): 424. 9. N. 

 syn. 



Biology: Proctor, 1938. Biol. Survey Mt. Desert Region, v. 6, p. 406. —Townes, 1939. 

 Brooklyn Ent. Soc, Bui. 34: 29. -Fattig, 1949. Ent. News 40: 70-71. 



Morphology: Pratt, 1939. Ent. Soc. Amer., Ann. 32: 737. 

 macrurus icterosticta Michener. Colo., N. Mex., Utah, Ariz. Presumably, m. icterosticta 



intergrades with the nominate subspecies in the Rocky Mountains, but intermediate 

 specimens are apparently unknown. 

 Megarhyssa lunator icterosticta Michener, 1939. Pan-Pacific Ent. 15: 130. 3,9. 

 macrurus macrurus (Linnaeus). Maine s. to Fla., w. to w. S. Dak. and w. Tex.; n. Mexico. Host: 

 Tremex columba (L.). 

 Ichneumon macrurus Linnaeus, 1771. Mantissa Plantarum, v. 2, p. 540. 9. 

 Ichneumon lunator Fabricius, 1781. Species Insectorum, v. 1, p. 430. 9. 



