Ant-like wasp - or is it an ant?

[Bruce Williams]

Stockgrove Country Park, Beds. 18th January 2010. On fence separating coniferous wood from meadow. Difficult subject to photograph as it never stopped moving.

Size: A little over 3mm including sting/ovipositor.

I thought this was an ant when I first saw it and I do know that some ants possess a sting.... However when I saw it close-up through the camera eyepiece it looked decidedly more wasp-like.....

Help with identification and any other comments welcome.



Bruce

[Jason Green]

Evening Bruce,

A great pair of images! It's a wasp (though the legs and abdomen recall Lasius niger for me). Looking at the head; It's wider and cylindrical with larger eyes, and the antennae are curved - but not bent, as you'd expect to find in Ants.

I'll go with Gelis sp., I think. That's a flightless Ichneumon wasp (Ichneumonidae), and your individual is a girl going by the modest ovipositor.

Take care,

Jason

[Bruce Williams]

Thanks Jason.

It's an amazing ant mimic isn't it - it even moves a bit like an ant. As I said it was very active and photography was made even more frustrating by the very low ambient light which made manual focus a bit hit and miss (so I took lot more shots to improve my chances ).

Bruce

[Dogghound]

I agree this is a gelid wasp not sure which though. Ants have elbowed anetenna.

[Bruce Williams]

Thanks Dan .

Bruce