As regular readers will know, I like wasps. They do a great job of keeping us free of creepy-crawlies. While common yellow-jackets are excellent at predation, don’t write off the usually unseen parasitic wasps. There are thousands of species worldwide (over 6600 in the UK alone), and it is estimated that for every insect species there is at least one parasitic wasp which preys on it. These wasps can be anything up to 50mm (2 inches) in size, maybe more; but many are tiny and seem to defy the limits of miniaturisation at under 1mm.
So I’m always interested when coming across a parasitic wasp. N found this one today in the bathroom …
[Click the images if you want a larger view]
It’s body was c.15-20mm (maybe a bit more) + the ovipositor; rich dark golden brown. The ovipositor was no more than 5mm and black. It’s antennae appeared black; and much longer than body. Its legs were definitely yellow-ish. iNaturalist suggests it is Ophion obscuratus, but it could be Ophion scutellaris.
They’re alien looking beasts – especially about the head – but rather beautiful for all that. And without them we’d be knee deep in caterpillars and other creeping beasticles.
Again this year we’re beginning each month with five pub quiz style questions, with a different subject each month. They’re not difficult, but it is unlikely everyone will know all the answers, so hopefully you’ll learn something new, as well as have a bit of fun.
September Quiz Questions: Famous Quotations
Who said …
“And malt does more than Milton can / To justify God’s ways to man.”
“I have come to the conclusion that politics is too serious a matter to be left to the politicians.”
“I do not feel obliged to believe that the same God who has endowed us with sense, reason, and intellect has intended us to forgo their use.”
“We have no plans therefore nothing can go wrong.”
“The taboo against nakedness is an obstacle to a decent attitude on the subject of sex.”
