The Ichneumonidae, also known as ichneumon wasps, ichneumonid wasps, ichneumonids, or Darwin wasps, are a family of parasitoid wasps of the insect order Hymenoptera. They are one of the most diverse groups within the Hymenoptera with roughly 25,000 species described as of 2016. However, this likely represents less than a quarter of their true richness as reliable estimates are lacking, along with much of the most basic knowledge about their ecology, distribution, and evolution. It is estimated that there are more species in this family than there are species of birds and mammals combined. Ichneumonid wasps, with very few exceptions, attack the immature stages of holometabolous insects and spiders, eventually killing their hosts. They thus fulfill an important role as regulators of insect populations, both in natural and semi-natural systems, making them promising agents for biological control.
Alexander Henry Haliday was an Irish entomologist. He is primarily known for his work on Hymenoptera, Diptera, and Thysanoptera, but worked on all insect orders and on many aspects of entomology.
Arnold Förster was a German entomologist, who worked mainly on Coleoptera and Hymenoptera.
Constantin Wesmael was a Belgian entomologist.
The Mymaridae, commonly known as fairyflies or fairy wasps, are a family of chalcidoid wasps found in temperate and tropical regions throughout the world. The family contains around 100 genera with 1,400 species.
Pimplinae are a worldwide subfamily of the parasitic wasp family Ichneumonidae.
The Tryphoninae comprise a worldwide subfamily of the parasitic wasp family Ichneumonidae.
Tersilochinae is a worldwide subfamily of the parasitic wasp family Ichneumonidae.
In this checklist are presented all wasp species of family Ichneumonidae.
Allophrys is a genus of the parasitic wasp family Ichneumonidae.
An Essay on the Classification of the Parasitic Hymenoptera of Britain Which Correspond with the Ichneumones Minuti of Linnaeus is a Victorian monograph of entomology published in the Entomological Magazine between 1833 and 1838, by the Irish entomologist Alexander Henry Haliday.
Meteorus is a genus of parasitoid wasps in the family Braconidae. It comprises over 330 species worldwide.
Tromatobia is a genus of ichneumon wasps in the family Ichneumonidae. There are at least 4 described species in Tromatobia. Species in this genus are parasites of egg sacs of spiders from the families Araneidae, Clubionidae, Philodromidae and Theridiidae.
Mesoleptus is a genus of parasitic wasp in the family Ichneumonidae with a wide geographic distribution.
Euceros is a cosmopolitan genus of ichneumon wasps in the family Ichneumonidae.
Ilytheinae is a subfamily of shore flies in the family Ephydridae.
Brachythops is a genus of insects belonging to the family Tenthredinidae.
Heterocola is a genus of parasitoid wasps belonging to the family Ichneumonidae.
Helictes is a genus of parasitoid wasps belonging to the family Ichneumonidae.
Trichomyia is a genus of flies belonging to the family Psychodidae.
