Cynipoidea
Encyclopedia
Cynipoidea is a moderate-sized Hymenoptera
n superfamily that presently includes five modern families and three extinct families, though others have been recognized in the past. The most familiar members of the group are phytophagous, especially as gall
-formers, though the actual majority of included species are parasitoid
s or hyperparasitoid
s. They are typically glossy, dark, smooth wasps with somewhat compressed bodies and somewhat reduced wing venation. It is common for various metasoma
l segments to be fused in various ways (often diagnostic for families or subfamilies), and the petiole
is very short, when present.
With the exception of the Cynipidae (the gall wasps), it is a poorly-known group as a whole, though there are nearly 3000 known species in total, and a great many species are still undescribed, mostly in the Figitidae
. Each of the constituent families differs in biology, though life histories of one of the families (Liopteridae) are still largely unknown.
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 superfamily that presently includes five modern families and three extinct families, though others have been recognized in the past. The most familiar members of the group are phytophagous, especially as gall
Gall
Galls or cecidia are outgrowths on the surface of lifeforms caused by invasion by other lifeforms, such as parasites or bacterial infection. Plant galls are abnormal outgrowths of plant tissues and can be caused by various parasites, from fungi and bacteria, to insects and mites...
-formers, though the actual majority of included species are 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 or hyperparasitoid
Hyperparasite
A hyperparasite is a parasite whose host is a parasite. This form of parasitism is especially common among entomophagous parasites....
s. They are typically glossy, dark, smooth wasps with somewhat compressed bodies and somewhat reduced wing venation. It is common for various 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 segments to be fused in various ways (often diagnostic for families or subfamilies), and the 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...
is very short, when present.
With the exception of the Cynipidae (the gall wasps), it is a poorly-known group as a whole, though there are nearly 3000 known species in total, and a great many species are still undescribed, mostly in the Figitidae
Figitidae
Figitidae is a family of tiny wasps with a worldwide distribution. There are currently about 1400 described species in 126 genera although many taxa undoubtedly await discovery. In contrast to most cynipoids, which are gall-inducing phytophages, these insects are parasitoids, the larvae feeding...
. Each of the constituent families differs in biology, though life histories of one of the families (Liopteridae) are still largely unknown.