Netelia ephippiata
Netelia ephippiata · Order: Hymenoptera · Family: Ichneumonidae
Netelia ephippiata is a wasp that lives only in New Zealand. Its larvae develop inside the caterpillars of the moth Orthoclydon praefectata, killing the host.
Source: Wikipedia
How to recognize it
This species belongs to the Ichneumonidae family of wasps.
Source: Wikipedia
Size
It is a typical ichneumonid wasp in size.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it lives
It is found in natural habitats across New Zealand.
Source: Wikipedia
What it eats
Adults lay eggs in the larvae of the moth Orthoclydon praefectata, and the developing wasp larvae consume the host.
Source: Wikipedia
Life cycle
The species is a parasitoid, with its young developing inside and eventually killing the moth caterpillar host.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it comes from
The wasp is endemic to New Zealand and not naturally found elsewhere.
Source: Wikipedia
More photos

Same family (Ichneumonidae)
Common Hover Fly Parasitoid WaspDiplazon laetatorius
Toothed Tiger IchneumonAmblyteles armatorius
Black Giant Ichneumonid WaspMegarhyssa atrata
Cream-spotted IchneumonEchthromorpha intricatoriaHarmless
Lemon Tree Borer Parasitoid WaspXanthocryptus novozealandicus
Glabridorsum stokesiiGlabridorsum stokesiiSources
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Netelia_ephippiata
Look it up elsewhere: GBIF · iNaturalist · BugGuide · Wikipedia
Text written 2026-10-23 from the sources above and checked sentence by sentence against them. Data fetched 2026-10-23.