The Megaspilidae are a small hymenopteran family with 13 genera in two subfamilies, and some 450 known species, with a great many species still undescribed. It is a poorly known group as a whole, though most are believed to be parasitoids (especially of sternorrhynchan Hemiptera), and a few hyperparasitoids. Many are found in the soil, and of these, a number are wingless.

Megaspilidae
Mounted specimen of a male Dendrocerus sp.
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Hymenoptera
Superfamily: Ceraphronoidea
Family: Megaspilidae

The family is distinguished from the closely related Ceraphronidae by having a very large stigma in the wing, a relatively constricted metasomal petiole, and three grooves in the mesoscutum.

The largest genus within Megaspilidae is Dendrocerus. The second largest genus is Conostigmus.

Genera

edit

These 13 genera belong to the family Megaspilidae:

References

edit
  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m "Megaspilidae Report". Integrated Taxonomic Information System. Retrieved 2018-04-12.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m "Browse Megaspilidae". Catalogue of Life. Retrieved 2018-04-12.
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m "Megaspilidae". GBIF. Retrieved 2018-04-12.
edit