Netelia infractor

This one seemed to key to infractor but I wasn't quite sure about one or two characters. I think the genitalia clinch it. One element of the genitalia proved really hard to see and so at first I didn't think it quite matched the diagram for infractor. The diagram shows a pair of joined rounded lobes near the apex which I could hardly see. Looking closely I could make out the lower one but the upper side was especially difficult to see as they're membranous and transparent so don't show up against the background. I tried dying it with Chlorazol Black - it didn't take the dye up very well but just well enough to see, and so I could at last see that it did match the diagram for infractor.

male Netelia infractor showing face and mandibles, head from above/side, occipital carina, forewings with close-up of vein cu-a and Rs+M, hindwing, scutellum, abdomen from side and genitalia with close up of apex after dying, Wendling Beck Environment Project (Norfolk, UK), 21st August 2023

I had previously, and very tentatively, identified this next one as testacea, but after my experience identifying the above infractor I suspect it is the same thing. My inexperience with the genus led to me messing up the dissection. With most taxa I dissect males have their genitalia inside the tip of the abdomem, often clumped together as a capsule which is revealed when opening the abdomen. When I opened this one I couldn't find anything inside, but having now looked at some more Netelia I now realise I should have looked at the inner surface of the outer lobe that I probably peeled away and discarded. So I am unable to confirm this one with reference to the genitalia. In most respects it was extremely similar to the infractor above and I now think that's the most likely ID. My only hesitation really is that I thought the rounded temples were a shade broader.

As can be seen in the images below, the specimen began to go mouldy immediately after death. This didn't really cause a problem when examining it but slightly obscures some of the features in the photos. Different attempts at measuring the forewing produced results ranging from 11.3 to 11.9mm.

probable male Netelia infractor showing forewing, head (dorsal and close-up of ocular-ocellar gap), propodeum (2 views) and scutellum, Wendling Beck Environment Project (Norfolk, UK), 9th August 2023

I initially mis-keyed this with it coming out as either melanura or opacula, and favoured opacula based on the shape of the temples. I questioned this when I realised that some photos of melanura online had similarly-shaped temples and that opacula was meant to be scarcely seen. The mystery was resolved when I examined the second specimen from the same session. That was a male, and loooking at the shape of the pads I realised it was infractor not melanura/opacula. I hadn't been completely convinced it was Netelia at all, as the mandibles didn't look quite right, but keying it as non Netelia soon arrived at a dead end.

female Netelia infractor showing wings, head (front, side and two top views), eyes, mandibles, first metasomal segment (2 views). scutellum and propodeum, ovipositor and two close-ups of forewing, Wendling Beck Environment Project (Norfolk, UK), 3rd September 2023

This was the male caught with the one above. Note that the end of the abdomen was testaceous in life but when I came to examine the specimen it had darkened. Whether that happened before or after it died I don't know. Once again the pads were hard to see but dying with Chlorazol Black helped.

male Netelia infractor showing wings, head (side and top views), abdomen tip after death and genitalia (including close-up of pad), Wendling Beck Environment Project (Norfolk, UK), 3rd September 2023