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Photo#1947829
Braconidae? - Elasmosoma michaeli

Braconidae? - Elasmosoma michaeli
Burns, Harney County, Oregon, USA
Size: 3mm
3mm, antenna at least 13 segments (may be broken), only 2 m-cu cross sections

Images of this individual: tag all
Braconidae? - Elasmosoma michaeli Braconidae? - Elasmosoma michaeli

Moved
Moved from Neoneurus.

With Dr. Shaw's updated ID.

Moved
Moved from ID Request.

Yes, I believe ...
... this is a braconid, a member of the rather uncommon subfamily Neoneurinae, which are parasitoids of ants (souncommon that Bug Guide doesn't yet have a page for it). Since the vein distal of the stigma reaches the wing edge (forming a cell), and the antenna may be longer than the head+mesosoma, this looks to be the genus Neoneurus.

 
After consulting with Dr. Scott Shaw ...
... at the University of Wyoming, he confirms this is Neoneurus. In fact, he might be able to ID it to species with a specimen that is in better shape, although it easily could be an undescribed species. He suggests the best way to find them is to search by nests of mound-building Formica ants. When the wasp is around, the agitation level of the ants rises - look in vegetation stems nearby. If you collect more wasps, get some specimens of the ants as well and store them in alcohol. (June is when they are most active). And I was wrong about the subfamily Neoneurine - that has now been downgraded to a tribe within Euphorinae.

 
ID confirmation from Dr. Shaw
So we sent a specimen of this species last year to Dr. Scott Shaw and he just got back to me and said it is one of the species he recently described.
Elasmosoma michaeli
Link to article

 
That's very cool
We are identifying insects from a bunch of pit traps out in the sage brush steppe, so more of this wasp may turn up. we've definitely collected a large volume of ants as well. Will definitely have to contact Dr. Shaw if we turn up some better specimens. Thank you!

 
Update
We have found more, but the specimens were even worse. It's a good sign that more might turn up later though. Will keep looking.

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