Explanation of Names
Scientific name is from Greek, chryso, meaning "gold", referring to the metallic golden coloration of some species. The name "cuckoo wasp" is attributed to the fact that this insect, like the cuckoo bird, lays her eggs in the nest of an unsuspecting host.
Identification
Characteristics of Chrysididae
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Body metallic blue or green, usually with coarse sculpturing (many pits in surface)
Antennae with 12 or 13 segments, two to six (usually three) of them visible and concave or hollowed out beneaath
Rear corners of thorax pointed
Tip of abdomen in many species has tooth-like projections
Hindwings with no closed cells
Abdomen concave beneath, allowing chrysidids to curl up into a ball when disturbed (see below)
Range
Throughout North America. Worldwide, chrysidids are distributed in all the zoogeographic Regions, except for the Antarctica.
Habitat
Most species are external parasites of wasp and bee larvae; one subfamily (Cleptinae, one genus,
Cleptes) attacks
sawfly larvae, another subfamily (Amiseginae) the eggs of
walkingsticks.
See Also
Some metallic-green
sweat bees (Halictidae) superficially resemble cuckoo wasps (Chrysididae), but halictids lack the sculptured cuticle and the ability to curl up in a protective ball.
Print References
Arnett, family #50 of the hymenoptera, pp. 576-577
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