Ceraphronidae
Encyclopedia
Ceraphronidae is a small Hymenoptera
n family with 14 genera and some 360 known species, though a great many species are still undescribed. It is a poorly known group as a whole, though most are believed to be parasitoid
s (esp. of flies
), and a few hyperparasitoid
s. Many are found in the soil, and of these, a number are wingless.
The family is distinguished from the closely related Megaspilidae
by having a very small stigma in the wing, a very broad metasoma
l petiole
, and a single median groove in the mesoscutum
.
The taxon was erected by Alexander Henry Haliday
in 1833
Hymenoptera
Hymenoptera is one of the largest orders of insects, comprising the sawflies, wasps, bees and ants. There are over 130,000 recognized species, with many more remaining to be described. The name refers to the heavy wings of the insects, and is derived from the Ancient Greek ὑμήν : membrane and...
n family with 14 genera and some 360 known species, though a great many species are still undescribed. It is a poorly known group as a whole, though most are believed to be parasitoid
Parasitoid
A parasitoid is an organism that spends a significant portion of its life history attached to or within a single host organism in a relationship that is in essence parasitic; unlike a true parasite, however, it ultimately sterilises or kills, and sometimes consumes, the host...
s (esp. of flies
Diptera
Diptera , or true flies, is the order of insects possessing only a single pair of wings on the mesothorax; the metathorax bears a pair of drumstick like structures called the halteres, the remnants of the hind wings. It is a large order, containing an estimated 240,000 species, although under half...
), and a few hyperparasitoid
Hyperparasite
A hyperparasite is a parasite whose host is a parasite. This form of parasitism is especially common among entomophagous parasites....
s. Many are found in the soil, and of these, a number are wingless.
The family is distinguished from the closely related Megaspilidae
Megaspilidae
Megaspilidae is a small Hymenopteran family with 12 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 , and a few hyperparasitoids...
by having a very small stigma in the wing, a very broad metasoma
Metasoma
The metasoma is the posterior part of the body, or tagma, of arthropods whose body is composed of three parts, the other two being the prosoma and the mesosoma. In insects, it contains most of the digestive tract, respiratory system, and circulatory system, and the apical segments are typically...
l petiole
Petiole (insect)
In entomology, the term petiole is most commonly used to refer to the constricted first metasomal segment of members of the Hymenopteran suborder Apocrita; it may be used to refer to other insects with similar body shapes, where the metasomal base is constricted...
, and a single median groove in the mesoscutum
Mesothorax
The mesothorax is the middle of the three segments in the thorax of an insect, and bears the second pair of legs. Its principal sclerites are the mesonotum , the mesosternum , and the mesopleuron on each side...
.
The taxon was erected by Alexander Henry Haliday
Alexander Henry Haliday
Alexander Henry Haliday, also known as Enrico Alessandro Haliday and Alexis Heinrich Haliday sometimes Halliday , was an Irish entomologist. He is primarily known for his work on Hymenoptera, Diptera and Thysanoptera, but Haliday worked on all insect orders and on many aspects of entomology.Haliday...
in 1833
External links
- Cedar Creek Images of pinned specimens.
- Waspweb
- Images at Bug Guide