Wasp with forked mouthparts

[Bruce Williams]

Stockgrove Country Park, Beds (4th December).

Size: ~4.5mm including ovipositor.

Don't recall seeing wasp with mouthparts like this one (any info?). Help with identification appreciated as always.



Bruce

[Jason Green]

Evening Bruce,

Wow, being December really doesn't stop you does it! I'm tempted to say Braconidae for this one. They often seem to have the long facial thing - - and a high number of antennal segments. However, it may be some other family that I'm not aware of, so I'll leave this by for the next WAB'er

Take care,

Jason

[ChrisR]

The mouthparts are just the 2 palps in lateral view - sometimes they are extended and at other times retracted more closely to the mandibles, depending on whether it is trying to taste something If you look at the first of my stephanid photos here you can see the extremely long palps of this group

[JRsbugs]

Very interesting, I had a wasp which I saw twice with a head like that. I was confused as to which family it shoudl belong because of the very long antennae but it didn't look like an Ichneumon. I got pics on 14th October and again on 23rd October, it stayed for a long time but moved around. The second time it looked like the same wasp but had part of the thorax covering ripped off so I doubt it would have lived much longer.

I checked the wings veination against yours Chris, it does look much the same but I can't see a crown of thorns around the ocellus. This was about 5mm long, I got some reasonable pics but not as good as I would have liked as it kept moving (as they do)

Janet

[Bruce Williams]

Thanks for your help guys.....and yes I see what you mean Chris.

Bruce

[ChrisR]

Originally Posted by JRsbugs

Very interesting, I had a wasp which I saw twice with a head like that.

It's unlikely to be a stephanid because they're very rare in these parts (mine is from the tropics) and they are quite large - this Hemistephanus is about 2cm long. But if you have photos then I'd like to see them

[JRsbugs]

Originally Posted by ChrisR

It's unlikely to be a stephanid because they're very rare in these parts (mine is from the tropics) and they are quite large - this Hemistephanus is about 2cm long. But if you have photos then I'd like to see them

Sorry for the late reply, I have had phone line problems!

Thanks for the info Chris, I will upload some pics soon.

[JRsbugs]

I started a new thread for my wasps,

Wasp, very long antennae.