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Megarhyssa sp.
found in woodland area
It was a leaf on a big tree in a woodland area of a city park, not sure which tree. I was looking at the fungi on the tree when it landed right in front of me. Thanks for the info.
It's near the size of a crane fly, but that's definitely an ichneumon wasp. If you look closely, you can see the four wings, meaning it's definitely not a crane fly.
This one looks like a male Megarhyssa species (it doesn't have the long ovipositor that the females do), which deposit their eggs in wood. The larvae then parasitize beetle larvae. If you weren't sure of the plant this wasp is on, it looks like it might be Virginia creeper. And if you want more information on the wasp, check out BugGuide: http://bugguide.net/node/view/4158
Spotted on Jul 24, 2011
Submitted on Jul 24, 2011
+1
