Ichneumon Wasp: Itoplectis Conquisitor

This brightly coloured wasp was found in my backyard. Apparently this type of wasp is very common although I've never noticed such colours on a wasp before.

photo taken August 2014

Common Name: a type of Ichneumon Wasp

Scientific Name: Itoplectis Conquisitor

Classification:
     Kingdom: Animalia (Animals)
          Phylum: Anthropoda (Anthropods)
               Subphylum: Hexapoda (Hexapods)
                    Class: Insecta (Insects)
                         Order: Hymenoptera (Ants, Bees, Wasps and Sawflies)
                              Superfamily: Ichneumonoidea
                                   Family: Ichneumonidae (Braconids and Ichneumon)
                                        Subfamily: Pimplinae
                                             Tribe: Pimplini
                                                  Genus: Itoplectis
                                                       Species: conquisitor (Itoplectis conquisitor)

Other Facts: Ichneumon Wasps are parasitic wasps and this one is no exception. The female has a long ovipositor coming out of its abdomen (this picture is of a female and what may be mistaken for a stinger is actually an ovipositor) for injecting eggs into the larvae or pupae of moths. 

photo taken August 2014