Help needed in identification.

[RedSteve]

[Rossco]

This is a parasitic wasp - either an ichneumonid or a braconid. I can't any more than that from the photos, but you can. You can see if it's a ich or brac by looking at the wing venation (recurrent veins are distinctive - 2 in ichneumonid families and one or none in braconid families):

Ichneumonids


Braconids


Both of these pics are from this site:
Hymenoptera

[Jason Green]

Originally Posted by RedSteve

Morning Steve, and welcome to WAB

I think it's a Phantom Cranefly, scientific family Ptychopteridae. I can't tell the species, maybe with a little research...

EDIT: Why don't I think Ich or Brac? This one looks pretty robust, whereas bracs are usually quite thin. As are most ichneumons too, but this one is tougher-looking. If it was an ich, I'd tend to go for the Pimpilinae sub-family as they tend to look stronger, and are commonly black with yellow or orange. However, this one has fairly small pterostygma (...the black mark on the outside-edge of the wing) and pimpilinaes often have two-toned ones, like black with a small yellow dot in some. This specimen has it's wings out at 90', whereas most ich's have them held out across the long abdomen when at rest, and not even this far out when dead in my experience.

Look at the wings, the shape. They say cranefly to me - the wedge-shape. The chunky, swollen abdomen is a distinctive feature in phantom craneflies. I can't quite tell what those thready-things are sticking out the back though!

I hope this helps...

Take care,

Jason

[Rossco]

Hmmm, interesting, but the beast has very long, filamentous antennae visible in both photographs, combined with sheaths around the ovipositor, both of which single it out as a female parasitic wasp with an abdomen full of eggs.

[Jason Green]

...what was that? Ah, just my phantom cranefly idea flying out the window...

Interesting indeed! Yes, maybe it IS a pimpilinae sub then - and maybe the pterostygmas may have that familiar yellow bit, though I know it isn't necessarily ever-present.

[Rossco]

Ha ha. Those phantom craneflies are mysterious beasts and they can often change form to suit the situation.

[RedSteve]

Many thanks for all your help. At least I now know what it is. Only asked because I had never seen one before, we get plenty of wasps and bees, but never anything like this! Glad I found this site.

Steve