Synonyms and other taxonomic changes
also called Serphidae (a name easily confused with the fly family, Syrphidae)
Explanation of Names
The "Procto" part of the name comes from the Greek "proktos" (anus) - perhaps a reference to the distinctive down-curved tip of the abdomen
Numbers
49 species in 6 genera in North America (
nearctica.com)
Size
body length ranges from 3-15 mm but most are 5-8 mm
Identification
terminal abdominal segment narrow, elongated, and down-curved in many species; forewing with large stigma, beyond which is a very small marginal cell
Range
throughout North America (?)
represented in several regions of the world
Food
most are parasitoids of beetle larvae; some are parasitoids of fungus gnats
Internet References
pinned adult images of 3 genera (Insects of Cedar Creek, Minnesota)
pinned adult images of unidentified proctotrupids (Alan Hadley, UK)
Guide to Parasitic Wasps - includes description, classification, biology (Chris Raper, UK)
adult drawing of
Proctotrupes species, showing down-curved tip of abdomen and large forewing stigma (National Institute for Agricultural Research, France)
adult drawings of members of superfamily Proctotrupoidea (National Institute for Agricultural Research, France)
description and hosts (Govt. of Australia)
description (U. of Vermont)
