Cuckoo Wasp -female

Description:

An attractive metallic green wasp about 7 mm long. The thoracic plates and head were heavily pitted (pics 2 & 3). Wings were tinted. Legs,eyes and antennae were black. Pic 4 shows a small pointy ovipositor at the rear end of the abdomen.

Habitat:

Spotted searching wooden panels outside a building.

Notes:

These wasps are called cuckoo wasps because they seek out nests of other wasps and lay their eggs in the nest. They are parasitoids and/or cleptoparasites because their larvae feed either on the food storage of the host wasp or on the host wasp larvae. Either way, they kill the larvae of the host species.
They have suitably adapted body parts to protect them from attacks from the host species (see reference link) including a thick integument and plates. They have a concave abdomen that makes it easy for them to curl-up when attacked. As I was observing this wasp, a slightly smaller one (possibly male)flew down and landed beside him (next spotting).
http://www.projectnoah.org/spottings/124...
Family: Chrysididae