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Insect ID

Posted: Sun Jun 12, 2011 8:19 am
by chickenchargrill
Image

Image

:dontknow:

Pictures aren't great, it decided to fly to the bottom of the wheelie bin when I went back out with my camera. Been through some pics of hoverflies and wasps on G00gle images but can't seem to find it.

Re: Insect ID

Posted: Sun Jun 12, 2011 8:46 am
by Green Aura
I did a quick search and the only thing I could find that looked anywhere near it is a scorpion fly. :dontknow:

Re: Insect ID

Posted: Sun Jun 12, 2011 9:14 am
by chickenchargrill
Its thorax isn't that long or thin. The yellow is quite bright as well. It's a weird one.

Re: Insect ID

Posted: Sun Jun 12, 2011 10:24 am
by MKG
Hard to see at the moment. Is that long line one of its antennae (second picture)?

Mike

EDIT: It looks like it's laying eggs, by the way - you're going to have more of whatever it is :iconbiggrin:

Re: Insect ID

Posted: Sun Jun 12, 2011 10:29 am
by Nomada
When they have antennae as long as that they are usually a kind of parasitic wasp. It wont sting, it should be quite harmless...unless you're a caterpillar or what ever it might parasitise.

Re: Insect ID

Posted: Sun Jun 12, 2011 5:02 pm
by chickenchargrill
Just found out its name. It's a ichneumon xanthorius. Apparently the ichneumon species made a lot of people doubt the existence of God, including Darwin, due to it eating the caterpillars during its larval stage.

Re: Insect ID

Posted: Sun Jun 12, 2011 6:54 pm
by Nomada
Awsome, it does seem a bit evil doesn't it! Creatures like that totally fascinate me!

Re: Insect ID

Posted: Wed Jun 29, 2011 7:30 am
by donegalwildman
It's certainly an Ichneumon wasp, but you can't id these from photographs: the 3000 or so species that we have in the British Isles converge on a small number of colour patterns, even across families. The only place these lay eggs is inside larvae of moths, butterflies and sawflies.