Species Details
Exetastes fornicator exploratus
University of Alberta E.H. Strickland Entomological Museum Read more about this collection »
SeasonalityAdult specimen collections from mid-June to mid-September (Townes & Townes 1978).
IdentificationBody almost entirely black, except gaster segments 2 and 3 very dark reddish-brown. Legs reddish-brown, with coxae and trochanters black. Hind legs with apical half of tibia and first tarsal segment dark brown.
Exetastes fornicator consists of a chain of subspecies extending across North America, with many intermediate specimens between recognizable subspecies (Townes & Townes 1978). This subspecies can be distinguished from E. f. niger by the lighter coloured hind tibia (approximately half brownish in E. f. exploratus compared to mostly dark brown in E. f. niger).
Scientific Name
Exetastes fornicator exploratus
Habitat
No habitat associations other than general habitat of genus (see Exetastes genus page).
Seasonality
Adult specimen collections from mid-June to mid-September (Townes & Townes 1978).
Identification
Body almost entirely black, except gaster segments 2 and 3 very dark reddish-brown. Legs reddish-brown, with coxae and trochanters black. Hind legs with apical half of tibia and first tarsal segment dark brown.…
Body almost entirely black, except gaster segments 2 and 3 very dark reddish-brown. Legs reddish-brown, with coxae and trochanters black. Hind legs with apical half of tibia and first tarsal segment dark brown.
Exetastes fornicator consists of a chain of subspecies extending across North America, with many intermediate specimens between recognizable subspecies (Townes & Townes 1978). This subspecies can be distinguished from E. f. niger by the lighter coloured hind tibia (approximately half brownish in E. f. exploratus compared to mostly dark brown in E. f. niger).
Life History
Specific information not known. See Exetastes genus page for general life history.
Conservation
No information available.
Diet Info
No host records. Host is probably Lepidoptera: Noctuidae.
Range
This subspecies has been collected from southern BC to the Atlantic Coast and south to Illinois (Townes & Townes 1978).
Notes
Synonym Exestastes nervulus var. exploratus Davis.
Citation
Page Citation for Exetastes fornicator exploratus
Page Citation
"Species Details - Exetastes fornicator exploratus, University of Alberta E.H. Strickland Entomological Museum." University of Alberta Museums Search Site, https://search.museums.ualberta.ca/g/2-5960. Accessed 14 Apr. 2025.
References
Author
Townes, H. and M. Townes
Title
Ichneumon-flies of America north of Mexico: 7. subfamily Banchinae, tribes Lissonotini and Banchini.
Publication Date
1978
Series Title
Memoirs of the American Entomological Institute, No. 26
Pages
614 pp.
Specimen Information
There is 1 specimen of this Species.
UASM93177 - Exetastes fornicator exploratus
University of Alberta E.H. Strickland Entomological Museum
Place CollectedUnited States: Montana, Glacier county, Glacier Park
Collected ByMail, G. A.
Date Collected1921-08-04