Ichneumon Wasp

A female ichneumon wasp (Hymenoptera: Ichneumonidae) laying an egg in a thistle head.  Note that it is just the ovipositor sheath that is sticking out backwards; the ovipositor itself is separable from the sheath and is being pushed forwards and downwards into the thistle head, probably onto some hapless insect larva or egg.  As I have said before, ichneumon wasps are very difficult to identify to the genus and species level, so I will not even hazard a guess for this one.

Photo taken in Bousdale, near Guisborough, North Yorkshire, UK, on 2010-08-08.

Comments

[H]

Found this when I was trying to identify what I had captured in some photos (animated here: http://reanimateobjects.tumblr.com/post/28551062335) and this looks very similar. I guess I won't be determining what kind of species it is, but now I'm closer!