
1. DISTRIBUTION
Pimpla turionellae [Soortenregister] is a common wasp that can be found across the Netherlands [Waarneming.nl].
2. BEHAVIOUR
2.1. ACTIVITY
The species is active from May to October [Fitton et al. 1988].
2.2. DEVELOPMENT
The species has two generations per year [Fitton et al. 1988] and overwinters possibly sometimes as adult [Fitton et al. 1988].
3. PARASITIC RELATIONS
P. turionellae is an idiobiont endoparasitoid [Uçkan et al. 2004] on butterflies and moths, hunting on smaller to middle-large pupae, in cocoons and sometimes bare, from the following species occurring in the Netherlands [Soortenregister]:
COSMOPTERIGIDAE | –Limnaecia phragmitella [Fitton et al. 1988] |
DEPRESSARIIDAE | –Depressaria radiella [Fitton et al. 1988] |
PYRALIDAE | –Acrobasis consociella [Fitton et al. 1988] –Ephestia kuehniella [Kansu & Ughacek 1984] –Galleria mellonella [Kansu & Ughacek 1984] |
PYRIDAE | –Pieris rapae [Kansu & Ughacek 1984] |
TORTRICIDAE | –Cydia pomonella [Fitton et al. 1988] –Rhyacionia buoliana [Fitton et al. 1988] –Tortrix viridana [Fitton et al. 1988] |
YPONOMEUTIDAE | –Yponomeuta cagnagella [Fitton et al. 1988] –Yponomeuta evonymella [Fitton et al. 1988] –Yponomeuta malinellus [Kolarov 1995],[Kansu & Ughacek 1984] |
YPSOLOPHIDAE | –Ypsolopha vittella [Fitton et al. 1988] |
I’ve observed the species on a nest of Apple ermine (Yponomeuta malinellus), see here.
The following hosts have been observed in the garden:
Whites (PYRIDAE) | –Small white (Pieris rapae) |
Ermine moths (YPONOMEUTIDAE) | –Apple ermine (Yponomeuta malinellus) |
4. IDENTIFICATION
It is a middle large wasp.
Characteristics of the genus [Broad 2011],[Fitton et al. 1988]:
1. Front wing vein 2m-cu with two bullae
2. Front wing vein 3rs-m present, not pigmented
3. Ovipositor straight
4. Hind tarsus segment 2 about as long as segment 5
5. Face black
6. Eyes weakly concave just above the antenna implant
7. Antennae slender
8. Antennae not subclavate (slightly enlarged at the end), often attenuate apically
8. Antenna flagellum segment 2 at least 3x longer than wide
Characteristics of the species [Fitton et al. 1988]:
Females
1. Hind coxa black
2. Face black with light hairs, whitish or sometimes light yellow
3. Space between rear ocelli is about 2x the space between ocellus and edge eye
4. Mesopleuron centrally densely punctuated, space between punctures about the diameter of the puncture

5. Pronotum often with yellow stripe on rear corner

6. Length ratio ovipositor : hind tibia = 0.9 – 1.1
Males
1. Face black with whitish hairs
2. Space between rear ocelli is about 2x the space between ocelle and edge eye
Literature
Broad 2011 Broad, G., 2011. Identification key to the subfamilies of Ichneumonidae (Hymenoptera). Biological Record Centre, Wallinford.Fitton et al. 1988 Fitton, M. G., Shaw, M. R., & Gauld, I. D., 1988. Pimpline ichneumon-flies. Hymenoptera, Ichneumonidae (Pimplinae).
Kansu & Ughacek 1984 Kansu, İ. A., & Ughacek˜ ur, A., 1984. Investigations into the biological relationships between Pimpla turionellae (L.)(Hym.-Ichneumonidae) and some lepidopterous pupae hosts.
Kolarov 1995 Kolarov, J., 1995. A catalogue of the Turkish Ichneumonidae (Hymenoptera). Entomofauna, 16(7), 137-188.
Soortenregister Nederlands Soortenregister
Uçkan et al. 2004 Uçkan, F., Sinan, S., Savaşçi, Ş., & Ergin, E., 2004. Determination of venom components from the endoparasitoid wasp Pimpla turionellae L.(Hymenoptera: Ichneumonidae). Annals of the Entomological Society of America, 97(4), 775-780.
Waarneming.nl Waarneming.nl
Citation
Krischan, O.R., 2025. Pimpla turionellae. Kerfdier, www.kerfdier.nl. Accessed on [date month year].