"The pteromalids represent one of the largest "families" of the Chalcidoidea, consisting of about 2800 world species of morphologically and biologically diverse habits. In our view, this "family" is the most artificial of the Chalcidoidea. It seems to be defined primarily by what it does not have in relation to other families, and yet there are always exceptions. Thus, for example, it does not have the enlarged hindfemora of the Chalcididae (except Chalcedectini), it does not have the quadrate (rectangular) pronotum of the Eurytomidae (except Spalanginae), it does not have the exserted ovi-positor of the Torymidae (except for Cea and Roptrocerus), and so on."
Chalcidoid site
