Image of Eupelmus antipoda Ashmead 1900

Description:

A small adult female wasp ovipositing in an egg case (ootheca) of the New Zealand praying mantis (Orthodera novaezealandiae) in our garden. I photographed the wasp while it oviposited, but then failed to catch it. I then took the ootheca and reared up the mantis nymphs that hatched (no wasps emerged). Some nymphs eventually died, but no wasps emerged, and I got some through to adults (mantises eat a lot!). I still don't know what this wasp was.