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.
The Braconidae are a family of parasitoid wasps. After the closely related Ichneumonidae, braconids make up the second-largest family in the order Hymenoptera, with about 17,000 recognized species and many thousands more undescribed. One analysis estimated a total between 30,000 and 50,000, and another provided a narrower estimate between 42,000 and 43,000 species.
Pimplinae are a worldwide subfamily of the parasitic wasp family Ichneumonidae.
Acaenitinae is a subfamily of the parasitic wasp family Ichneumonidae. It is distributed on all continents except Antarctica, although only one specimen (from the genus Arotes has ever been discovered in South America. Little is known of the Acaenitinae. The only reared species was a koinobiont endoparasitoid of a weevil. There are 24 genera. Hosts are believed to be Coleoptera larvae in wood. Female Acaenitinae have a large triangular projecting genital plate.
Tersilochinae is a worldwide subfamily of the parasitic wasp family Ichneumonidae.
Allophrys is a genus of the parasitic wasp family Ichneumonidae.
Amblyteles armatorius is a species of parasitic wasp in the family Ichneumonidae first described by Johann Reinhold Forster in 1771.
Mesoleiini is a tribe of parasitic wasps in the subfamily Ctenopelmatinae.
Idiogramma is a genus of wasp. It is the only extant genus in the tribe Idiogrammatini.
Lusius is a genus of parasitoid wasps in the tribe Phaeogenini Förster, 1869 or Alomyini Förster, 1869, first described by Pierre Jules Tosquinet in 1903, published after his death. The genus is similar in appearance to species in the genus Heterischnus. Lusius occurs in the Oriental, Afrotropical, Neotropical and Australasian biogeographical regions.
Trogus is a genus of parasitoid wasp found in the Holarctic and Neotropic regions. It is placed in the subfamily Ichneumoninae and the tribe Ichneumonini. Trogus species are parasites of larvae and pupae of the swallowtail butterfly family, Papilionidae. The genus consists of twelve extant and one extinct species.
Mesoleptus is a genus of parasitic wasp in the family Ichneumonidae with a wide geographic distribution.
Orthocentrinae is a subfamily of ichneumon wasps in the family Ichneumonidae. There are about six genera in Orthocentrinae.
Rhyssinae is a subfamily of parasitoid wasps in the family Ichneumonidae. It contains eight genera and 259 described species, but there are likely many undiscovered species.
Exetastes is a genus of parasitoid wasps belonging to the family Ichneumonidae.
Itoplectis is a genus of insect belonging to the family Ichneumonidae.
Campoletis is a genus of parasitoid wasps belonging to the family Ichneumonidae.
Sinophorus is a genus of parasitoid wasps belonging to the family Ichneumonidae.
Eriborus is a genus of parasitoid wasps belonging to the family Ichneumonidae.
Callidora is a genus of parasitoid wasps belonging to the family Ichneumonidae and the subfamily Campopleginae. It is relatively species poor, with only five recognized species.
