Pimpla sanguinipes
This record describes Pimpla sanguinipes (species). Recorded family: Ichneumonidae. Recorded order: Hymenoptera.
Identification and Appearance
erythropus and sanguinipes might really be two separate species, judging from the fact that they occupy different habitats: sanguinipes in arid areas and erythropus in forested areas. Townes even had differences in punctation for the two. His concept of subspecies was very dubious, and he did not strictly apply the concept in a geographical sense and named many sympatric subspecies, many of which I relegated to synonymy in the 1979 catalog. But this case was different, and I might have just elevated the two taxa to species level but did not. I don't remember if I had a reason for not doing it, but maybe it was because there was a dearth of specimens in the National Collection from which I could form an opinion. (Robert W. Carlson, pers. comm. to =v=, 9/30/09)
Classification
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Arthropoda
- Class
- Insecta
- Order
- Hymenoptera (Ants, Bees, Wasps and Sawflies)
- Superfamily
- Ichneumonoidea
- Family
- Ichneumonidae (Ichneumonid Wasps)
- Subfamily
- Pimplinae
- Tribe
- Pimplini
- Genus
- Pimpla
Imported taxonomy record. Source availability varies; see the source references and editorial policy below.
About Flies: the wider group
Order-level background for Hymenoptera, the group containing Pimpla sanguinipes. 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 Pimpla sanguinipes (5)
Photo credits: Contributed by v belov; Additional contributions by Aaron Schusteff