Ichneumon

A terrible moth catch this morning due to much clearer night sky than the forecast suggested, low temperature overnight and a full moon. I only caught six Large Yellow Underwings and three Square-spot Rustics. However, their arch-enemies, the ichneumon 'flies', were not put off. Indeed, over the last couple of weeks I've been finding lots of them in or around the trap. This is Ophion luteus, one of the commonest of the ichneumons, a group of insects which are parasitic on other insects, frequently moths. They have a long needle-like ovipositor that enables them to lay eggs inside the larvae of their prey species. I gather they are able to use this weapon to defend themselves if picked up, but this one thankfully did not need to be handled to persuade it to pose.