Identification, Images, & Information
For Insects, Spiders & Their Kin
For the United States & Canada
Photo#147905
Night Wasp - Acrotaphus wiltii

Night Wasp - Acrotaphus wiltii
Jim Thorpe, Carbon County, Pennsylvania, USA
September 23, 2007
Size: 3/4 inch

Images of this individual: tag all
Night Wasp - Acrotaphus wiltii Night Wasp - Acrotaphus wiltii - female

What a nice - albeit strange - creature!
Although forewing venation is poorly visible on both pics, I suspect a large Braconid rather than an Ichneumon, but this is a mere hypothesis.

 
It is an ichneumonid.
This is a female in the genus Acrotaphus. They are parasites of orb weavers (actually restricted to only one species, the name of which escapes me at the moment).

 
I'll look at the other photos
I'll look at the other photos and see if I have a better one.

Edit: just checked-no better one of the wings. Sorry.