Hercus fontinalis
This record describes Hercus fontinalis (species). Recorded family: Ichneumonidae. Recorded order: Hymenoptera.
Identification and Appearance
Found in Europe Checklist of ichneumonid parasitoid wasps in Switzerland (Hymenoptera, Ichneumonidae): 470 species new for the country and an appraisal of the alpine diversity.
Classification
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Arthropoda
- Class
- Insecta
- Order
- Hymenoptera (Ants, Bees, Wasps and Sawflies)
- Superfamily
- Ichneumonoidea
- Family
- Ichneumonidae (Ichneumonid Wasps)
- Subfamily
- Tryphoninae
- Tribe
- Oedemopsini
- Genus
- Hercus
Imported taxonomy record. Source availability varies; see the source references and editorial policy below.
Diet and Behavior
Life History
Click on an image below to view the Life Cycle:
Additional species information
Species notes from the sources
Etymology: Townes, Gupta, and Townes 1992 applied the name Bassus frontalis Zetterstedt to this species and recognized three subspecies in North America, which were largely sympatric. Zetterstedt's name Bassus frontalis had been suppressed by a 1939 Opinion of the International Commission of Zoological Nomenclature, so the name that correctly applies to this species is Eclytus fontinalis Holmgren. Prior to the Townes et al. revision, Hercus pleuralis (Provancher) had been treated as a species separate from Hercus fontinalis (Holmgren), but Townes et al. reduced the status of pleuralis to that of subspecies and described an additional subspecies named flavens Townes & Gupta. If these color variants are really all conspecific, it makes no sense to recognize them as subspecies because of the extents to which their ranges overlap. Whether they are conspecific or not presumably remains to be determined.
About Flies: the wider group
Order-level background for Hymenoptera, the group containing Hercus fontinalis. Species-specific details appear above.
Group overview
Hymenoptera includes over 150,000 described species of ants, bees, wasps, and sawflies. Earth harbors approximately 20 quadrillion (20×10^15) ants, with a combined biomass of ~12 megatons of dry carbon - exceeding the combined biomass of all wild birds and mammals (PNAS, 2022).
Ecological role of the group
About 35% of the world's food crops depend on animal pollinators. The chocolate industry, valued at over $100 billion, depends on pollinating flies and midges. Ants are the dominant soil engineers in most terrestrial ecosystems, turning more soil than earthworms in many habitats.
Economic and practical significance of the group
Pollinators contribute $235-577 billion worth of annual global food production (FAO). In the U.S., bee pollination alone benefits crops valued at $18 billion annually, and honey bees are responsible for $5.4 billion in agricultural productivity. Between April 2023-2024, 55.1% of managed honey bee colonies were lost. The U.S. bee population dropped from 5 million to 2.5 million.
Recorded sources for this group: FAO, USDA, EPA, PNAS (2022), US Fish & Wildlife Service. Imported estimates may describe particular regions or reporting periods.
Photos of Hercus fontinalis (5)
Photo credits: Contributed by Bob Carlson; Additional contributions by Beatriz Moisset , Wisconsin Oecanthinancy