Family Scelionidae

"Classification in Platygastroidea at the family-level has undergone changes in the past decade, enacted by workers who do not specialize on the systematics of this taxon and who provided no new analysis of relationships within it (Sharkey 2007, McKellar and Engel 2012). McKellar and Engel (2012), without explanation, treated Platygastridae as having a single subfamily. In the absence of analysis, formal or otherwise, we reject this change to the classification and here present fossil specimens organized by subfamily: Platygastrinae and Sceliotrachelinae in Platygastridae, and Scelioninae and Telenominae in Scelionidae." (Talamas & Buffington 2015)

Terga 2 & 3 subequal in length, if tergum 2 much longer than tergum 3, forewing with 2 veins (stigmal and postmarginal)(1).

egg parasites; hosts include insects of at least 7 orders

The mothering wasps often do stay with the parasitized eggs until they are emergent, mostly to keep other egg parasites away. They can be very common at the end of summer when egg numbers are at a peak. (Comment by Herschel Raney).

Some species are very host specific, others parasitize a wide range of hosts. Many species are used to control important pests, such as gypsy moth (Lymantria dispar), migratory locust (Locusta migratoria), Eurygaster integriceps, kissing bugs (Triatominae), and horse flies (Tabanus)