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Ichneumonidae
This wasp has black head and thorax. The front four legs are yellow and hindlegs are brown and yellow. The abdomen is orange-brown. This female has a short ovipositor. The antennae are nearly as long as the body. Ichneumonidae is a family within the insect order Hymenoptera. Insects in this family are called Ichneumon Wasps or Ichneumonids. Less exact terms are Ichneumon Flies (they are not closely related to true flies), or Scorpion Wasps due to the extreme lengthening and curving of the abdomen (scorpions are arachnids). Ichneumon wasps are important parasitoids of other insects. Ichneumon wasps differ from typical wasps by having more antennal segments; typically 16 or more, whereas the others have 13 or fewer. Female ichneumon wasps frequently exhibit an ovipositor longer than their body. Ovipositors and stingers are homologous structures. Males do not possess stingers or ovipositors.
Backyard, weedy part.
First IDd as Gasteruptiid Wasp (Gasteruptiidae).
Spotted on Dec 12, 2012
Submitted on Feb 5, 2013
6 Comments
Thanks John. I'll go with your suggestion, Ichneumonidae. Regards.
I think Ichneumonidae, but it is a bit of a guess because you really need to see the wing veins to be sure (unless you know the groups really well).
Thank you John for your comment and for pointing out the number of antennal segments. Now, I am back to determining if this is braconid or ichneumon wasp, which at present confuses me :)
I am thinking this is probably Ichneumonidae. Lots of antennal segments (more than 15) - which as a general rule makes it a braconid or an ichneumonid (of course there are always exceptions with wasps).
Thank you Lori for the lead. I think you are right. Thanks!! :)
Wings make me think Gasteruptiidae: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gasteruptii...