Ectemnius literatus

I don't think this species has a widely recognised vernacular name but Steven Falk's Flickr album has it as Hogweed Fly Fox.

This was found on Hogweed. I examined it shortly after struggling with two Ectemnius wasps both of which, despite having some differences from one another, I eventually identified as Ectemnius continuus. The first thing that was clear looking at this one was that the shape of the pronotum was quite different when looking at it from the side (the difference was much less obvious looking from above). On this one the top of the pronotum was rounded whereas on the earlier ones the top was flat, sharply angled to an almost vertical front face. That, along with its silver hair on the clypeus, put it to literatus or cephalotes. I identified it as literatus based on the pattern of striations on the mesonotum which matches the description for literatus in both Yeo & Corbett and the RES key. I was less clear about the length of the hair on the first gastral tergite as this wasn't particularly short - but this really requires comparative material to make any sense of. I will retain this specimen so hopefully I will be able to compare it with cephalotes in future but in the meantime I am provisionally calling it literatus.

female Ectemnius literatus showing pygidium, clypeus, mesonotum & pronotum from side, mesonotum from above, first gastral tergite, propodeum from side/rear and (mouldy) antennal segment 3, Wendling Beck Environment Project (Norfolk, UK), 30th July 2025