Ctenopelmatine

This Ctenopelmatine was found at Timble Ings, VC64, on 11/6/2011.

I understand that they are usually parasitoids of saw-fly larvae and this one was flying over bilberry.

Hemigastrini

This little ichneumon, from Timble Ings on 11/6/2011, is a male Cryptine from the tribe Hemigastrini.

It is awaiting specific identification.

Glypta extincta

When I visited Timble Ings, VC64, on 11th June 2011 I found a couple of these branchine ichneumons flying around the bilberry.

Bill Ely tells me that it is Glypta (Conoblasta) extincta.

A Common Lizard, basking on a dry stone wall, was another highlight of this Saturday morning excursion.

Isadelphus inimicus

This male ichneumon was found seasching the bark of a Sycamore tree at Hollins Hall, Baildon VC64, on 11th June 2011.

Bill Ely tells me that it seems to be Isadelphus inimicus but it has black mandibles rather than yellow.

Male ichneumons are less easy to identify than females and this could be one of the other Isadelphus species.

Megastylus suecicus

An ichneumon found in my Baildon garden on 9th June 2011 was sent to Bill Ely who tells me that it belongs to the subfamily Orthocentrinae and the tribe Helictini and to the genus Megastylus.

Bill says that he has used a draft key and the specimen runs to Megastylus suecicus.

Scirtetes robustus

A Dun-bar moth larva (Cosmia trapezina), found in woodland at Hawksworth, appears to have been the host of the ichneumon Scirtetes robustus.
This is one of the Campopleginae and used to be called Spudastica kriechbaumeri.
It is a common parasitoid of several Orthosia spp. and this pupa should hopefully hatch next Spring.

Ascogaster grahami

When a parasitoid emerged from one of my Luffia ferchaultella cases collected from Hollins Hall Hotel, Baildon VC64, I was initially assuming it was going to be another Diadegma.
This one is a smaller insect and Mark Shaw tells me that it is the Braconid, Ascogaster grahami.
It is not a rare species and usually parasitises tineids rather than Psychidae.