2
$\begingroup$

enter image description here Found this insect in Kolkata India. Has a sting at its rear end. The wings are shiny.

Improve this question
$\endgroup$
1
  • $\begingroup$ Welcome to Biology.SE! Please edit your post to add an estimate for the size of this insect and the nearby environment as those factors can be helpful clues for identifications. ——— Please also take the tour and then go through the help pages starting with How to Ask questions effectively on this site. Thanks! 😊 $\endgroup$
    – tyersome
    Commented Dec 27, 2019 at 5:47

1 Answer 1

Reset to default
4
$\begingroup$

That is a parasitic wasp in the family, Ichneumonidae. You can tell by looking for a cell in the forewing that looks like a horse head. The "stinger" is an ovipositor. These wasps lay their eggs in the larvae of other insects

Improve this answer
$\endgroup$
1
  • 1
    $\begingroup$ I've been trying to work out which species of wasp in that family it is. Going by photos on projectnoah.org/spottings/17352592 it looks like this could be a female Xanthopimpla punctata ("Yellow Ichneumon Wasp"), but there seem to be a lot of very similar looking Xanthopimpla species it could also be. $\endgroup$
    – Astrid_Redfern
    Commented Dec 27, 2019 at 16:47

You must log in to answer this question.

Not the answer you're looking for? Browse other questions tagged .