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Hi! This giant wasp has been caught in Voronezh region (Central Russia) in cereals. It came down into the pitfall trap. I think it belongs to Ichneumonidae family, but what genus or species exactly. Whoes parasite is it? Its body length is 2 cm, but including its ovipositor it gives 4.5 cm!
By the way, I thought maybe it is a sawfly (Simphyta). Uhh... I'm confused. So, what is it! Help me to ID it.
Thanks in advance

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no. I think this is Symphyta. Sawfly...
Ordo Hymenoptera
Subordo Symphyta.
no constriction between thorax and abdomen.
BUT... I strange about 2 possible CERCI???? OR are they two artificial lines???

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A sawfly with a long ovipositor? Not likely - a 'sawfly' ovipositor is blade-like, like a 'saw' Though I can see why jorge might think so because it does look like there is no waist. But I think that's just the angle it has been photographed from - a view from the side would show there is a narrowing.

Without checking my collection too rigorously, I'd guess it is a ichneumonid from the family Pimplinae - possibly genus Dolichometus? The long ovipositor suggests it parasitises hosts burried in a very deep substrate, such as wood. Was there any old wood nearby?

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Well,
Chris is quite right. This is a Ichneumonid, subfamily Pimplinae. If you would see it from a different angle you would indeed see a constricted waist, although the first abdominal tergite is short and thick!
I think this could indeed be Dolichomitus imperator, in western Europe the biggest together with Rhyssa persuasoria.
And jorge, this is the ovipositor and one of the two parts of the ovipositor sheet, that covers the ovipositor when not in use. The second one is broken off, you can see it sticking up at the end of the abdomen!

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ok. you are rigth, now. Thanks.

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Dolichomitus, it is a difficult group to separate the species!

Hello Chris! ?
It is the opinion of those which are tested there, I never worked this group...... Zwakhals, a Dutch ichneumonologist begins the revision and seeks material in Dolichomitus! ?

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I don't find them too difficult in UK, with Fitton, Shaw & Gauld (1988). Is the situation in Europe more confused than in the UK?

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Thank you, guys for your detailed discussion. I've searched Dolichomitus imperator on the Internet and found its fotos at www.biopix.dk which are very similar to mine.
Sergey

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The problem with a Dolichomitus foto is that they all look very similar to yours because Dolichomitus species are indistinguishable on fotos...

Sorry for that,

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Yes, here in the UK the key to Dolichomitus reqires the reader to look at grooves/ridges on the tip of the ovipositor, so you'd have to be an amazing photographer to get all of that into one photo!