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Home » Guide » Arthropods (Arthropoda) » Insects (Insecta) » Ants, Bees, Wasps and Sawflies (Hymenoptera) » "Parasitica" (parasitic Apocrita) » Chalcid Wasps (Chalcidoidea)

Superfamily Chalcidoidea - Chalcid Wasps

Classification · Other Common Names · Numbers · Size · Identification · Food · Remarks · Internet References · Works Cited

wingless wasp - Eupelmus vesicularis - female

Wasp cocoons on unknown caterpillar - Euplectrus

Chalcid parasitoid of Disholcaspis quercusglobulus

Classification

Kingdom Animalia (Animals)

Phylum Arthropoda (Arthropods)

Class Insecta (Insects)

Order Hymenoptera (Ants, Bees, Wasps and Sawflies)

No Taxon ("Parasitica" (parasitic Apocrita))

Superfamily Chalcidoidea (Chalcid Wasps)

Other Common Names

"Chalcid" is usually used to refer to any member of this superfamily, rather than only members of the family Chalcididae. Using "chalcidoid" instead removes any ambiguity.

Numbers

>2000 spp. in ~470 genera of 18 families in our area; estimated >500,000 spp. worldwide, of which a mere 22,000 so far described; 19 families with >90 subfamilies currently recognized(1)(2)

Size

0.1-20 mm, avg. 1.5 mm, usually under 3 mm(1)(2)

Identification

Antennae usually elbowed, never more than 13 segments.

Most are dark colored, some metallic green or blue. Clear winged.

They generally hold their wings flat over the abdomen.

Online key to families in(3)

Overview of Families

Family Agaonidae - Fig wasps

♀

Family Aphelinidae

Family Chalcididae - Chalcid Wasps

Family Elasmidae

Family Encyrtidae - Encyrtids

Family Eucharitidae

♀

♂

Family Eulophidae

♀ ♂

Family Eupelmidae

♀

Family Eurytomidae

♀

♂

Family Leucospidae

♀

♂

Family Mymaridae

Family Ormyridae

♀

♂

Family Perilampidae

Family Pteromalidae - Pteromalids

Family Tetracampidae

Images needed

Family Torymidae

Family Trichogrammatidae

Family Signiphoridae

Food

most parasitize eggs or immature stages of other insects or arachnids; others feed on plant tissues of stems, leaves, seeds, or flowers, or make galls(1)

Remarks

Life history summarized in(4)(2)

Some are used to control insect pests (Lepidoptera, Diptera, Coleoptera, Hemiptera). The males of many species produce sounds.

Internet References

Chalcidoidea In Catalan, with excellent pictures

Chalcid forum

Works Cited

1.	The families and subfamilies of Canadian Chalcidoid wasps By C.M. Yoshimoto

2.	Universal Chalcidoidea Database

3.	Handbook of Nearctic Chalcidoidea

4.	A handbook of the families of Nearctic Chalcidoidea (Hymenoptera). 2nd Edition By E.E. Grissell & M. E. Schauff

Contributed by Richard Leung on 22 March, 2005 - 6:29pm
Additional contributions by Beatriz Moisset, John S. Ascher, ceiseman, v belov
Last updated 13 September, 2011 - 6:29am

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