Synonyms and other taxonomic changes
classification in the guide follows
(1)Explanation of Names
Braconidae Latreille 1829
Numbers
>1700 spp. in >200 genera of 36 subfamilies in our area; close to 20,000 spp. in >1000 genera of ~50 subfamilies worldwide. Ghahari et al. (2003) estimate 120,000 spp.
subfamilies not yet in the guide:
Adeliinae ( spp. in 2 genera in our area)
Dirrhopinae ( spp. in 1 genus in our area)
Hormiinae ( spp. in _ genera in our area)
Masoninae (2 rare spp. in 1 genus in our area; se.US)
Meteorideinae ( spp. in 1 genus in our area)
Rhysipolinae ( spp. in _ genera in our area)
Size
rarely >15 mm; smallest 1‒3 mm
Identification
Antennae with ≥16 segments
Female ovipositor from
very long to
short
morphology diagrams in
(4)
Food
Larval hosts: immature insects incl. Coleoptera, Diptera, Lepidoptera, &c.
Life Cycle
Many life histories adapted to parasitizing hosts as diverse as aphids, bark beetles, and foliage-feeding caterpillars. Many species are egg-larval parasitoids, laying eggs within host eggs and then not developing until the host is in the larval stage. Unlike ichneumon wasps, many pupate in silken cocoons outside the body of the host and others spin cocoons entirely apart from the host.
(5) Also unlike ichneumonid wasps, very few braconids use host pupae to complete their life cycles, except for fly parasitoids in Alysiinae and Opiinae.
Examples of life cycles:
Phytophagous primary gall-forming species exist, at least in the Doryctinae (Marsh 1991)
Remarks
Molecular evidence supports the monophyly of the cluster of subfamilies with cyclostome "mouth"
(1) defined by the dorsoventrally short clypeus and the concave labrum, bordered ventrally by the mandibles:
Some species are used for pest control.
Print References
Marsh P.M. (1991) Description of a phytophagous doryctinae braconid from Brazil (Hymenoptera: Braconidae). Proc. Ent. Soc. Wash. 93: 92‒95.
