Diptera.info - Discussion Forum: Ichneumonid orchid pollinator

Diptera.info :: Identification queries :: Other insects, spiders, etc.

Ichneumonid orchid pollinator
ChrisR	#1 Posted on 22-06-2011 11:05
Super Administrator Location: Reading, England Posts: 7703 Joined: 12.07.04	Malcolm Brownsword sent me the following photos of a ichneumon (braconid?) that was seen visiting orchids on Porton Down, southern England, last weekend. As you can see, it has pollinia attached to the face so he is very interested to learn more about it. I have told him that the likelihood of an identification is fairly remote but I thought I'd offer it up anyway, just in case ChrisR attached the following image: [62.79Kb] Edited by ChrisR on 22-06-2011 11:06 Manager of the UK Species Inventory in the Angela Marmont Centre for UK Biodiversity at the Natural History Museum, London.


ChrisR	#2 Posted on 22-06-2011 11:05
Super Administrator Location: Reading, England Posts: 7703 Joined: 12.07.04	another angle... ChrisR attached the following image: [51.81Kb] Manager of the UK Species Inventory in the Angela Marmont Centre for UK Biodiversity at the Natural History Museum, London.


ChrisR	#3 Posted on 22-06-2011 11:05
Super Administrator Location: Reading, England Posts: 7703 Joined: 12.07.04	another angle... ChrisR attached the following image: [74.59Kb] Manager of the UK Species Inventory in the Angela Marmont Centre for UK Biodiversity at the Natural History Museum, London.


ChrisR	#4 Posted on 22-06-2011 11:06
Super Administrator Location: Reading, England Posts: 7703 Joined: 12.07.04	another angle... ChrisR attached the following image: [42.65Kb] Manager of the UK Species Inventory in the Angela Marmont Centre for UK Biodiversity at the Natural History Museum, London.


cthirion	#5 Posted on 22-06-2011 20:04
Member Location: Awirs (Flémalle) Belgique Posts: 901 Joined: 13.08.04	Perhaps Cratichneumon sp????? Camille cthirion


cthirion	#6 Posted on 22-06-2011 20:04
Member Location: Awirs (Flémalle) Belgique Posts: 901 Joined: 13.08.04	Perhaps Cratichneumon sp????? Camille cthirion


ChrisR	#7 Posted on 22-06-2011 21:08
Super Administrator Location: Reading, England Posts: 7703 Joined: 12.07.04	Many thanks for trying - I thought it would be impossible even to genus Manager of the UK Species Inventory in the Angela Marmont Centre for UK Biodiversity at the Natural History Museum, London.


Graeme Cocks	#8 Posted on 22-06-2011 22:02
Member Location: Townsville, Australia Posts: 3083 Joined: 09.09.08	Could it be Tiphiidae?


Graeme Cocks	#9 Posted on 22-06-2011 22:03
Member Location: Townsville, Australia Posts: 3083 Joined: 09.09.08	Could it be Tiphiidae?


ChrisR	#10 Posted on 22-06-2011 22:16
Super Administrator Location: Reading, England Posts: 7703 Joined: 12.07.04	We only have 2 tiphiids in the UK and they are both very hairy and don't really look like this one ... but it is a good idea because they are very common at flowers Manager of the UK Species Inventory in the Angela Marmont Centre for UK Biodiversity at the Natural History Museum, London.


cthirion	#11 Posted on 23-06-2011 18:53
Member Location: Awirs (Flémalle) Belgique Posts: 901 Joined: 13.08.04	article antenna numbers.....not possible Tiphiidae! cthirion


Sundew	#12 Posted on 23-06-2011 19:58
Member Location: Berlin and Baden-Württemberg, Germany Posts: 3931 Joined: 28.07.07	Which Orchid is visited? (I collect information about Orchid pollinators.) And what is the wasp looking for? Is nectar offered? Many Orchids deceive their visitors and offer nothing. Sexual deception, however, is obviously not taking place here. So what makes the wasp poke its head to the pollinia? It gathered such a lot - will it place them correctly on the stigma? If not, it could not be considered a true pollinator.


ChrisR	#13 Posted on 23-06-2011 20:07
Super Administrator Location: Reading, England Posts: 7703 Joined: 12.07.04	It was visiting Coeloglossum (now Dactylorhiza?) viride Manager of the UK Species Inventory in the Angela Marmont Centre for UK Biodiversity at the Natural History Museum, London.