Deducing how tropical rhyssines (Hymenoptera, Ichneumonidae) mate from body measurements

The biology of many Darwin wasp (Hymenoptera: Ichneumonidae) species is poorly known. Existing museum specimens can potentially be used to get information on e.g. how live, what they eat, and their life cycle is. One example this a 1991 study by Eggleton in which he measured some rhyssine (Ichneumonidae: Rhyssinae) species, the results deduce likely mate. We extend work measuring five tropical species. found no evidence that males our scramble for females before emerge, matches was hypothesised Eggleton. Further measurements more would provide other mate, field observations mating rhyssines help confirm Eggleton’s method deducing strategies gives true results.