This bug was on my windshield today and there was one like it on the hood of my car the other day that I didn't get a picture of. It has a long body with mosquito-like legs and a scorpion-like tail or stinger. It had large wings and the tail was maybe an inch or inch and a half. Can anyone help identify this insect? I looked online and couldn't find anything like it (and does it really sting?)
This is a completely harmless (except to certain scarab beetle larvae) female wasp in the family Pelecinidae. It is in the genus Pelecinus; males have a much shorter abdomen, and seldom are seen - see http://tinyurl.com/cwg4ny for an image. They cannot sting and are parasitic on June beetle larvae.
