Xanthocryptus novozealandicus, the lemon tree borer parasite, is a wasp in the family Ichneumonidae.

[3] When a suitable host is found, the female pushes her ovipositor through the wood and injects her eggs into the grub.

The wasp uses the white part of the antenna to palpate damaged wood and identify a suitable host.

[4] The beetle Drototelus elegans, attacked by X. novozealandicus, mimics the wasp's coloration, thought to be an example of aposematism helping to protect them from birds.

[6] The life cycle of X. novozealandicus consists of four distinct stages: egg, larvae, pupae/cocoon, and adult.

[4] The Lemon Tree Borer Parasite relies on the bodies of beetle larva to house their offspring.

Researchers theorize that their long antennae allows them to sense the beetle larvae through the bark, even if they are deep in the wood.

[4] The females utilise a specialized tube-like spike called an ovipositor to penetrate the bodies of their victims.

[10] Diet and parasitism Wood boring beetles are their main food source from their larvae stage till they are fully grown[11] Not much research exists into the diet of X. novozealandicus after emerging from its host, but adult parasitic wasps in general tend to feed upon nectar, pollen, and honeydew.

Thus it serves a vital horticultural purpose and is responsible for keeping the Lemon Tree Borer populations contained.