a wood wasp? Ident help please!

[hamadryad]

Hi all, got a little critter here, was an interesting beast, extracting grubs form an aged Pholiota aurivella(golden scaly cap) clump that I have been observing over the last 14 days.

any ideas what it is?

[Jason Green]

Evening Hama,

It looks like Ctenophora pectinicornis, which is a Cranefly (from family Diptera, not Hymenoptera).

Take care,

Jason

[hamadryad]

Thanks jason, its appreciated.

Was rather a delight to watch this one today, i thought it was drinking fluid from the fruit bodies then sudenly saw it extract a grub! awsome!

[The Woodman]

Fascinating - you actually saw it removing grubs. To eat? Fungus gnat grubs Tony?

[hamadryad]

Originally Posted by The Woodman

Fascinating - you actually saw it removing grubs. To eat? Fungus gnat grubs Tony?

a ha! your post indicates some knowledge onm these critters!

I have found some grubs in Polyporus squamosus brackets, also Inonotus hispidus, but bug life say that the flat footed fly is the only known parasite of a fungi?

I spoke to a friend recently who works for the corporation of london, they had a bug expert in and he gave david the name of the pink grubs i see in Inonotus hispidus brackets but I think we have the spelling wrong

orchisea marchens?

Do you know much about the ecology of aged fruit bodies?

[The Woodman]

I have no knowledge of the ecology of rotting fungal bodies apart from casual observation. Like many things in life, I've simply accepted that the larvae I see when a body is pulled apart are those from fungus gnats and sometimes small beetle larvae. I have seen clusters of gnats around decaying bodies regularly.

If Jasons ID is correct in that it is a Cranefly, what was it doing removing a larva if the adults only take moisture? I cannot find anything about Tipulidae feeding on anything apart from water and nectar.

Have you seen something new to science?

Also, I cannot find anything like Orchisea marchens. Marchend did much work with fungus gnats though.

[hamadryad]

Originally Posted by The Woodman

I have no knowledge of the ecology of rotting fungal bodies apart from casual observation. Like many things in life, I've simply accepted that the larvae I see when a body is pulled apart are those from fungus gnats and sometimes small beetle larvae. I have seen clusters of gnats around decaying bodies regularly.

If Jasons ID is correct in that it is a Cranefly, what was it doing removing a larva if the adults only take moisture? I cannot find anything about Tipulidae feeding on anything apart from water and nectar.

Have you seen something new to science?

Also, I cannot find anything like Orchisea marchens. Marchend did much work with fungus gnats though.

Thanks for this info, a big help as WABBERS always are!

as for seeing something new to science i am uncertain what this fly/wasp was up to with the grubs, but he was VERY keen on them! ignoring my pressence, and flash photography up close and personal which is a good indicator of it being fully engrossed in what it was doing.

I am sure it was eating them, but i gues it could easily have been aquiring them for eggs to be inserted? however i would think this is done in stu so I really am only guessing. it was an interesting intimate moment in nature thats for sure.