Brief morphology with images for practical classes of Post graduate students of Zoology, Agriculture, Horticulture and basic science.

1. Hymenopteran Parasitoid
Published: 04/08/2016
Dr Tusar Kanti Ghosal
Department of Entomology
U.B.K.V. Cooch Behar

2. • Over 100,000 species
• 90 families
• Economically most useful
– Parasitoids, predators, pollinators

3. Sub order
Infra order
Super family

4. Sub order : Symphyta
* It Included sawfly (Tenthredinoidea), horntail (family Siricidae) and wood
wasp (Xiphydriidae, Oryssidae and Anaxyelidae).
* All are phytophagous except for members of the parasitic wood wasp
family Orussidae.
* The “waist” (or midsection) between the abdomen and thorax of adult is
broad.
* The larvae usually resemble caterpillars and have a variable number of
legs.

5. Sub order : Apocrita
It includes bee, wasp and ant.
* Larvae are legless and blind and
either feed inside a host (plant or
animal) or in a nest cell
provisioned by their mothers.
* It is distinguished from Symphyta
by the narrow "waist“ (or petiole)
formed between the first two
segments of the actual abdomen.
* The 1st abdominal segment is fused to the thorax and is
called propodeum.
* The ovipositor either extends freely or is retracted and
may be developed into a stinger for both defense and
paralyzing prey.

6. Infra order : Parasitica
The parasitoids are distinguished from parasites in that the
host of the former is usually killed as a result of feeding.
The superfamilies namely Chalcidoidea, Cynipoidea,
Ichneumonoidea, Proctotrupoidea, Diaprioidea, and
Platygastroidea encompass the vast majority of parasitoid
species.

7. Superfamily : Ichneumonoidea
The Ichneumonidae are usually larger insects than the
Braconidae and are separated by their wing venation. The size
of Ichneumonidae vary from 3.2 to 134 mm long. Most species
are slender and the females of many species having long
ovipositors. The long ovipositor is adapted for boring into wood
and a host.
Family : Stephanidae
: Ichneumonidae
: Braconidae
: Apozygidae
: Paxylommatidae

8. Family : Stephanidae
(Crown wasp)
The head is large and spherical, bearing a crown. The body is long, slender
and covered by impressive and varied sculpturing patterns. The fore tibia is
centrally compressed and bent outwards, and the hind leg is enormous and
highly modified (images), with five tarsomeres in males, but only three in
females, which also bear an ovipositor at least as long as the length of the
body

9. Family : Ichneumonidae
Adults vary considerably in shape, colour, and size, averaging about 1.2 cm
long; most of them resemble wasps in having a long, slender, curved
abdomen. Hoese-head cell visible in front wing (i,e, forewings lack a costal cell).
Many species have a dark spot on the fore wing. It has usually longer
antennae (16 or more segments) which may be as much as half the length
of wasp’s body. Its Legs have two-segmented trochanters. The ovipositor is
often longer than the body,

10. Family : Braconidae
They are dark or dull in colour and relatively small, seldom exceeding 1.5
cm (0.6 inch) in length. The wings are sometimes banded or spotted. The
ovipositor, or egg-laying organ, of the female is long and conspicuous.

11. Superfamily : Platygastroidea
These are tiny, shining-black insects with sparce wing
venation so that they resemble chalcids. The antennae
usually have 10 segments and are attached very low on the
face, next to the clypeus.
Family : Platygastridae
: Scelionidae

12. Family : Scelionidae

13. Superfamily : Chalcidoidea
Most species are small or very tiny, some being less than 0.4 mm in
long. Most of the chalcids are dark to black in color, but many are blue or green
in color with a metallic sheen. Most species have reduced wing venation, and
there is a lot of variation in body shape. Some have peculiar, even bizarre, shapes.
The wings are reduced or absent in some groups. They usually hold their wings
flat over the abdomen when at rest, and many seem to jump when they begin to
fly.
The antennae are usually elbowed and never contain more than 13 segments. The
pronotum is quadrate and does not reach the tegulae, and there is usually a
prepectus present on the side of the thorax.

14. Family : Pteromalidae

15. Family : Pteromalidae
They are tiny black or metallic-green or bronze wasps.
The adults of many species feed on the body fluids of
the host, which exude from punctures made by the
parasite's ovipositor.

16. Family : Eulophidae

17. Family : Eulophidae
They are small insects averaging 1.2-4 mm long. The 4-
segmented tarsi and the axillae, which extends forward
beyond the tegulae, distinguishes them.
Many species are brightly colored and the males of some
have pectinate antennae.

18. Family : Trichogrammatidae

19. Family : Trichogrammatidae
Trichogrammatids are tiny insects, 0.3-1.1 mm long,
three-segmented tarsi, pear shaped wings having a
single vein and fringing microscopic hairs that
are usually arranged in rows, distinguish them and
the rather short head that is somewhat concave
posteriorly.

20. Family : Chalcididae

21. Family : Chalcididae
These are medium sized wasps about 2.2-8 mm long. Their hind
femora are swollen and bear teeth. The chalcidids have antennae
that are bent and very small.
The body is laterally compressed. They are usually black and non-
metallic, but often black with yellow, red, or white markings on the
legs.

22. Superfamily : Mymarommatoidea
This is a very small family of tiny insects. Only 10 living species in 1
genus have been described with others being known only as
fossils. They had occurred worldwide. So that more are certain to
be found. Nevertheless, they are easily missed and hard to study
because of their small size of only 0.3 mm. long.
Family : Mymarommatidae

23. Superfamily: Evanioidea
In this Superfamily the abdomen is attached high above the
hind coxae, the antennae are filiform and have 13 or 14
segments. The trochanters have two segments, and the
front wing venation is usually complete and there is a costal
cell. Some (Gasteruptlidae and Aulacidae) superficially
resemble ichneumons. All are parasitoids of other insects.
Family : Aulacidae.
: Evaniidae.
: Gasteruptiidae

24. Superfamily: Cynipoidea
This group includes mostly small or tiny insects with a
reduced wing venation. Most species are black, and the
abdomen is usually shiny and compressed. The antennae are
filiform, the pronotum extends back to the tegulae, and the
ovipositor issues from anterior to the apex of the abdomen.
Family : Austrocynipidae.
: Cynipidae
: Figitidae
: Ibaliidae
: Liopteridae

25. Superfamily: Proctotrupoidea
Most are small or very tiny, black and shiny. They resemble chalcids, cynipids,
or some of the scolioid or bethyloids. The smaller species have a reduced
wing venation like the chalcids, but differ by the structure of the thorax and
ovipositor. The pronotum is triangular in lateral view and projects to the
tegulae and the ovipositor emanates from the tip of the abdomen rather than
from anterior.
Family : Austroniidae.
: Diapriidae.
: Proctotrupidae
: Heloridae.
: Roproniidae.
: Vanhorniidae.
: Maamingidae.
: Mesoserphidae.
: Monomachidae
: Pelecinidae.
: Peradeniidae.
: Proctorenyxidae

26. Superfamily: Stephanoidea
Stephanids are a small of rare hymenopterans that are parasitoids of
the larvae of wood-boring beetles. The adults vary in length from 4-
20 mm. They are slim and resemble ichneumonids with their long
ovipositor. The head is quite spherical, and protrudes on a neck. It
also has a crown of about four or five teeth around the median
ocellus. The hind coxae are long, and the hind femora are swollen
and also have teeth. Most American species occur in the western
Nearctic.
Family : Stephanie

27. Superfamily: Megalyroidea.
Mason (1993) reported that the Megalyridae are mainly parasitoids of Coleoptera
larvae that are found under tree bark. One species parasitizes a species of
Pemphredonidae.There are about 11 species in Africa, South America, southeast
Asia and Australia.The body is sturdy and cylindrical (Mason 1993).
The gena has a large, spacious, oval pit where the antennal
scape occurs. The mesoscutum is flattened and has large
triangular axillae, and in most but one genus there is a
pronounced median groove that bisects the mesoscutum.

28. Superfamily: Trigonaloidea.
Trigonalids are a small group of rare hymenopterans of
average size and quite brightly colored. Their bodies are
stout and they resemble wasps, but have long and
multisegmented antennae.
Family : Trigonalidae.

29. Dedicated to my teacher
Prof. (Dr.) T. C. Narendran