Alomya

Hymenoptera > Ichneumonoidea > Ichneumonidae > Alomyinae > Alomya >

Alomya Panzer, 1806

Description

Alomya superficially resemble some Ichneumonines but is readily recognized by several unique characters. In females the vertex is strikingly long and the proboscial fossa is unusually narrow (genae almost meeting behind the mandibles). Both sexes have large mandibles with blunt teeth (lower tooth larger and longer than upper in females, mandible often unidentate in males) and a strongly truncate clypeus with long erect golden setae. Gastrocoeli and thyridiae are absent. Fore wing with 2m-cu meeting with the pentagonal areolet in its distal half, nervellus reclivous. The habitus is usually enough for identification (cubic head, general shape).

Biology

All species are parasitoids of moths in the family Hepialidae. Females enter the tunnel of the host, ovipositing a single egg just behind its mouthparts. The moth larva is known to respond with aggression, sometimes causing Alomya females to lose antennae in the ordeal. Instead of pupating, the attacked host’s cuticle will harden, forming a structure known as a “mummy,” from which the adult wasp emerges months later.

Females are rarely seen. Males however are regularly spotted feeding on umbellifers or flying over low vegetation.

There are 7 recorded hosts.

Host records from Taxapad^[1].

Distribution

Alomya is widespread in the Palearctic. The exact number of species that occur in northern Europe is not clear, but at least three are known.

Known from the Palaearctic region, with records from 31 countries and regions. Records from GBIF and the Bugweb collection are shown on the map.

Country records from Taxapad^[1], FinBIF^[2], Artsnavnebasen^[3] and Dyntaxa^[4].

Identification

A key to northern European species is provided here. For a traditional key, see Bauer (1966).

Distribution map

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GBIF records GBIF ↗GBIF occurrence records are shown as reported and may include misidentifications.

Accepted name

Alomya Panzer, 1806

Original name

Alomya^[5]

Taxonomic level

genus

Synonyms

Halomya^[6]

Type

Ichneumon debellator^[5]

Sources (6)

[1]Yu, D.S.K., van Achterberg, C. & Horstmann, K. (2016). Taxapad 2016, Ichneumonoidea 2015. Database on flash-drive. Nepean, Ontario, Canada. ↑ a b c
[2]Finnish Biodiversity Information Facility (2026). The FinBIF checklist of Finnish species, version 1.36. Darwin Core Archive, downloaded 5 October 2026. Helsinki, Finland. https://laji.fi ↑
[3]Artsdatabanken (2026). Nortaxa (Artsnavnebasen), version 1.292. Darwin Core Archive, downloaded 5 October 2026. Trondheim, Norway. https://artsdatabanken.no ↑
[4]SLU Artdatabanken (2026). Dyntaxa. Svensk taxonomisk databas. Darwin Core Archive, downloaded 5 October 2026. Uppsala, Sweden. https://artfakta.se ↑
[5]Panzer, G.W.F. (1806). Kritische Revision der Insektenfaune Deutschlands nach dem System bearbeitet II. Nürnberg 271 pp. cited from Taxapad ↑ a b
[6]Yu, D.S. & Horstmann, K. (1997). A catalogue of world Ichneumonidae (Hymenoptera). Memoirs of the American Entomological Institute. Volume 58. 1558 pp. cited from Taxapad ↑

Further literature (4)

–Bauer, R. (1966). Die Gattung Alomya Panzer (Hymenoptera Ichneumonidae). Nachrichtenblatt der Bayerischen Entomologen 15: 124–127.
–Broad, G.R., Shaw, M.R. & Fitton, M.G. (2018). Ichneumonid wasps: (Hymenoptera: Ichneumonidae): Their classification and biology. Handbooks for the Identification of British Insects. Vol. 7, Part 12. Royal Entomological Society.
–Finlands Artdatacenter (2024). Alomyinae. LAJI.FI. Retrieved July 13, 2024. https://laji.fi/sv/taxon/MX.310750
–SLU Artdatabanken (2024). Alomyinae. Artfakta. Retrieved July 13, 2024. https://artfakta.se/taxa/1015814

Host and distribution record sources (179)

Links:GBIFoccurrences Catalogue of Lifeaccepted name BOLDbarcodes ArtfaktaSweden Laji.fiFinland ArtsdatabankenNorway BHLliterature

Some of this text has been automatically generated based on data from Taxapad^[1] and may contain errors or incomplete information.

BugWeb

Northern European species (4)

Keys

Gallery

Specimens