Braconidae (Braconids)

The Braconidae species are closely related to the Ichneumonidae, with both families grouped together in the superfamily Ichneumonoidea. They are superficially similar in many ways, but can be separated by wing venation, although I suspect that anyone who specialises in them knows whether they're looking at a braconid or an ichneumon simply from experience. In general, braconids are small and inconspicuous insects that, in most cases, are not going to be identified from photos. There are around 1,360 species in numerous genera and a great number of subfamilies, with each subfamily having defined characters that enable the entomologists who deal with these species to be able to place them accordingly.

To date I've only photographed one ichneumonid wasp that has been identified as a braconid. I wouldn't have known, but one of the experts on the British Ichneumonoidea FB Group confirmed that it was a member of the Rogadinae subfamily, possibly Aleiodes, which was subsequently verified. The Rogadinae subfamily are largely endoparasitoids of Lepidopteran larvae.