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ChalcidoideaUniversalChalcidoideaDatabase

AboutchalcidoidsImagesMorphologyandterminologyAboutthedatabaseKeytofamiliesFamilyindexCollectingandpreservingAcknowledgements

NOTESONFAMILIESChalcididaeMaindiagnosticcharacters1.Hindlegwithfemurcharacteristicallyswollenwithoneormoreteethonitsinnermarginandwithtibiamarkedlycurved(100%)2.Prepectusverynarrow,notclearlyvisible(100%)3.Tegulaoval,nearlyaslongasbroad(100%)4.Bodyrobust,about2.5-9.0mminlength(100%)IncludedtaxaThefamilycurrentlyincludes87generaand1464speciesplacedin5subfamiliesasfollows:Chalcidinae(25/767),Dirhininae(3/65),Epitraninae(1/64),Haltichellinae(55/560),Smicromorphinae(1/6),unplaced(2/2).

Chalcidinae(Chalcissp.)Chalcidinae(Brachymeriaboranensis)

BiologyChalcididsarepredominantlysolitary,primaryendoparasitoidsofLepidopteraandDiptera,thoughafewspeciesattackHymenoptera,ColeopteraorNeuroptera;sometropicalspeciesareectoparasitoids,andafewmaybegregarious.Anumberofspecies(includingsometropicalspeciesofConura)maybehyperparasitic.TheBritishspecieshavebeenrecordedasendoparasitoidsofDiptera,Coleoptera

andSymphyta.Mostareidiobionts,ovipositingintomoreorlessfullygrownhosts,suchasmaturelarvae(inthecaseofparasitoidsofDiptera),oryoungpupae(parasitoidsofLepidoptera).However,speciesofChalcisarekoinobiontparasitoidsofStratiomys(Diptera:Stratiomyidae).SomespeciesovipositintoeggsofStratiomys,whicharelaidinclustersonwater-sidevegetation(Cowan,1979).TheStratiomyslarvae,uponhatching,quicklyenterwaterinwhichtheyundergolarvaldevelopment.Duringthisperiodthechalcididlarvaeremainalmostdormantinsidethem.WhentheStratiomyslarvaearereadytopupatetheymigratetomudbanks,orothersimilarsitesabovethewaterline.TheChalcislarvaequicklycompletetheirdevelopmentandtheiradultsemergethroughround

holescutinthestratiomyid'scalcifiedcuticle(Burks,1979).TheBritishspeciesChalcismyrifexovipositsdirectlyintosubmergedStratiomyslarvae(Schremmer,1960).

Dirhininae(Dirhinussp.)Haltichellinae(Antrocephalussp.)

Femalesmaylayuptoabout200eggswhichareelongately-ovalandmaysometimeshaveaveryshortpetiole.Thefirstinstarlarvamay

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becaudateorhymenopteriform,withorwithoutspiracles,butwithwell-developedcuticularspines.Subsequentinstarsaremoreorlesshymenopteriform(Dowden,1935;Arthur,1958).Pupationtakesplaceinthehostpupa.Mostchalcididsoverwinterasadultfemales,orasmaturelarvaeinthehosts.

Haltichellinae(gen.indet.)Somechalcididsareofinterestasparasitoidsofinsectpests.Forexample,BrachymeriaintermediaisaparasitoidofLymantriadispar,anintroducedlepidopterouspestofavarietyoftreesinNorthAmerica,butithasprovedtobeoflittleuseforbiologicalcontrolpurposes.SpeciesofthepredominantlytropicalgenusDirhinusmaybeofsomeeconomicimportanceasparasitoidsofsynanthropicDiptera(Calliphoridae,MuscidaeandSarcophagidae)andtephritidsoft-fruitpests(Boucek&Narendran,1981).

Haltichellinae(Ugacolliscutellum)Haltichellinae(Oxycorypheacuta)

IdentificationFerrire&Kerrich,1958(Britishspecies);Boucek,1952(Europeanspecies),1988(Australasiangenera);Boucek&Delvare,1992(newworldgenera);Narendran,1989(Orientalgeneraandspecies).ReferencesArthur,A.P.1958.Development,behaviour,anddescriptionsofimmaturestagesofSpilochalcisside(Walk.)(Hymenoptera:Chalcididae).CanadianEntomologist90(10):590-595.Boucek,Z.1952.ThefirstrevisionoftheEuropeanspeciesofthefamilyChalcididae(Hymenoptera).Sb.ent.Odd.nr.Mus.Praze27(supplement1):1-108,17plates.Boucek,Z.1988.AustralasianChalcidoidea(Hymenoptera).Abiosystematicrevisionofgeneraoffourteenfamilies,witha

reclassificationofspecies.:832pp..CABInternational,Wallingford,Oxon,U.K.,CambrianNewsLtd;Aberystwyth,Wales.Boucek,Z.;Narendran,T.C.1981b.Indianchalcidwasps(Hymenoptera)ofthegenusDirhinusparasiticonsynanthropicandotherDiptera.SystematicEntomology6:229-251.Burks,B.D.1979.Torymidae(Agaoninae)andallotherfamiliesofChalcidoidea(excludingEncyrtidae).(In:Krombein,K.V.;Hurd,P.D.jr.;Smith,D.R.;Burks,B.D.,Editors.)CatalogueofHymenopterainAmericanorthofMexico1:748-749,768-889,967-1043.SmithsonianInstitutePress,Washington,D.C.Boucek,Z.&Delvare,G.1992.OntheNewWorldChalcididae

(Hymenoptera).(Severaldifferentpapers.)MemoirsoftheAmericanEntomologicalInstitute53:iv+466pp.Cowan,D.P.1979.ThefunctionofenlargedhindlegsinovipositionandaggressionbyChalciscanadensis.GreatLakesEntomologist12(3):133-136.Dowden,P.B.1935.Brachymeriaintermedia(Nees)aprimaryparasiteofBrachymeriacompsiluraeCrawfordasecondaryparasiteofgypsymoth.J.Agric.Res.50(6):495-523.Ferrire,C.;Kerrich,G.J.1958.Hymenoptera2.Chalcidoidea.Section(a)Agaontidae,Leucospidae,Chalcididae,Eucharitidae,

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Perilampidae,CleonymidaeandThysanidae.HandbooksfortheIdentificationofBritishInsects8(2)(a):40pp,79figs,5Plates.Narendran,T.C.1989.OrientalChalcididae(Hymenoptera:Chalcidoidea).439pp.UniversityofCalicut,Kerala,India.Schremmer,F.1960.BeitragzrBiologiederinStratiomyiiden-larvenparasitierendenChalcididenderGattungSmicraSpin.(ChalcisF.).Ent.Nach,Osterreichu.Schweiz.12:83-89.Previouspage:NextpageLastupdated07-Jun-2004DrBRPitkin

Termsofuse.2004TheNaturalHistoryMuseum,CromwellRoad,London,SW75BD,UK.