Xanthocryptus novozealandicus
In 3 days ~10% in a week ~20%
Xanthocryptus novozealandicus, the lemon tree borer parasite, is a wasp in the family Ichneumonidae. It is a native insect of New Zealand. It is also found in Australia and New Guinea. Females hunt for larvae of wood-boring beetles around March, including the lemon tree borer (Oemona hirta), a native cerambycid that tunnels into citrus trees, grapes and many native species. When a suitable host is found, the female pushes her ovipositor through the wood and injects her eggs into the grub. This has the incidental benefit of helping to control some pests. X. novozealandicus prefers to prey on second year lemon tree borer larvae. This specific parasite prefers to prey on larger second year larvae due to its larger size.
The female X. novozealandicus is larger than the male of the species, with the female reaching between 9 and 15mm long, while the males are between 5 and 11mm long. They exhibit primarily black coloration with white spots covering their thorax and white stripes along their abdomen and head. Their front legs tend to be short and their back four legs much longer with primarily reddish-brown coloration and black tips. The back two legs have a single set of... Wikipedia →
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More parks will be added in future updates.
Rare
Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Lemon Tree Borer Parasitoid Wasp sighting in Sydney on a given day, based on 6 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 621st most-seen of the 742 insects we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 10%, and over a week to about 20%, if each day is a fresh chance.
Any time of year
In every month with enough records, under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Lemon Tree Borer Parasitoid Wasp in Sydney on a given day, so our monthly data shows no clear season.
2nd of 2
Of the 2 cities where we can rate Lemon Tree Borer Parasitoid Wasp sightings, Sydney ranks 2nd at under 5%. The best odds are in Auckland (New Zealand, about 10%).
Same family: Ichneumonidae
The closest relatives of the Lemon Tree Borer Parasitoid Wasp that you can see in Sydney (family Ichneumonidae, Ichneumonid Wasps) are Black-Tipped Orange Ichneumon Wasp (about 10%) and Orchid Dupe Wasp (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Lemon Tree Borer Parasitoid Wasp is recorded against all the insects logged in Sydney (6 verified sightings), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.
