Chalcid wasps are insects within the superfamily Chalcidoidea, part of the order Hymenoptera. The superfamily contains some 22,500 known species, and an estimated total diversity of more than 500,000 species, meaning the vast majority have yet to be discovered and described. The name "chalcid" is often confused with the name "chalcidid", though the latter refers strictly to one constituent family, the Chalcididae, rather than the superfamily as a whole; accordingly, most recent publications (e.g.,) use the name "chalcidoid" when referring to members of the superfamily.
In evolutionary ecology, a parasitoid is an organism that lives in close association with its host at the host's expense, eventually resulting in the death of the host. Parasitoidism is one of six major evolutionary strategies within parasitism, distinguished by the fatal prognosis for the host, which makes the strategy close to predation.
Johan Christian Fabricius was a Danish zoologist, specialising in "Insecta", which at that time included all arthropods: insects, arachnids, crustaceans and others. He was a student of Carl Linnaeus, and is considered one of the most important entomologists of the 18th century, having named nearly 10,000 species of animals, and established the basis for the modern insect classification.
The emerald cockroach wasp or jewel wasp is a solitary wasp of the family Ampulicidae. It is known for its unusual reproductive behavior, which involves stinging a cockroach and using it as a host for its larvae. It thus belongs to the entomophagous parasites.
Automeris io, the Io moth or peacock moth, is a colorful North American moth in the family Saturniidae. The io moth is also a member of the subfamily Hemileucinae. The name Io comes from Greek mythology in which Io was a mortal lover of Zeus. The Io moth ranges from the southeast corner of Manitoba and in the southern extremes of Ontario, Quebec, New Brunswick and Nova Scotia in Canada, and in the US it is found from Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, Nebraska, Colorado, New Mexico, Texas, Utah, east of those states and down to the southern end of Florida. The species was first described by Johan Christian Fabricius in 1775.
Maruca vitrata is a pantropical insect pest of leguminous crops like pigeon pea, cowpea, mung bean and soybean. Its common names include the maruca pod borer, bean pod borer, soybean pod borer, mung moth, and the legume pod borer. The species was first described by Johan Christian Fabricius in 1787.
Epagoge grotiana, common name brown-barred tortrix, is a moth of the family Tortricidae, first described by Johan Christian Fabricius in 1781.
Ampulex is a large cosmopolitan genus of wasps belonging to the family Ampulicidae. Most of the >130 species occur in the tropics, particularly in the Old World, and fewer than 15 are known from the New World; fewer than 5 species are native to Europe or the United States, though the Old World species Ampulex compressa has spread to virtually everywhere that its host roaches can be found. The few species whose biology is known are parasitoids of cockroaches; they typically inject venom into the roach that subdues or immobilizes it, and then lay one to two eggs between the legs of the defenseless roach.
Acmaeops marginata is a species of the Lepturinae subfamily in the longhorn beetle family. It was described by Johan Christian Fabricius in 1781 and is known from Austria, Belarus, Belgium, Baltic states, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Czech Republic, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Italy, Norway, Poland, Russia, Serbia, Slovakia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Ukraine, China, Mongolia, and Montenegro. Adult beetle feeds on Scots pine, and Norway spruce.
Agenioideus nigricornis, the redback spider-hunting wasp, is a species of spider wasp from the subfamily Pompilinae, found in Australia. It is a parasitoid of the venomous redback spider.
Alomya debellator is a species of parasitoid wasp in the family Ichneumonidae. It was first described by Johan Christian Fabricius in 1775.
Megarhyssa macrurus, also known as the long-tailed giant ichneumonid wasp or long-tailed giant ichneumon wasp, is a species of large ichneumon wasp. It is a parasitoid, notable for its extremely long ovipositor which it uses to deposit an egg into a tunnel in dead wood bored by its host, the larva of a similarly large species of horntail.
Saperda candida, the roundheaded appletree borer, is a species of beetle in the family Cerambycidae. It was described by Johan Christian Fabricius in 1787. It is known from Canada and the United States. It contains the varietas Saperda candida var. bipunctata.
Psalis pennatula, the yellow hairy caterpillar, is a moth of the family Erebidae. The species was first described by Johan Christian Fabricius in 1793. It is found in India, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Australia and Java.
Macrosiagon limbatum is a species of wedge-shaped beetle in the family Ripiphoridae. They are found across the Eastern United States, Southeastern Canada and Central America. It is likely that their range extends into South America but this currently remains unknown.
Stephanus serrator is a species of parasitic wasp in the family Stephanidae, the crown wasps. This species is native to much of Europe and is to be seen in the breeding season on recently dead timber or wood products. The larvae are parasitoids of the larvae of wood-boring beetles.
Exetastes is a genus of parasitoid wasps belonging to the family Ichneumonidae.
Diplazon is a genus of parasitoid wasps belonging to the family Ichneumonidae.
Orchestes pilosus is a beetle of the family Curculionidae found in Europe. It was first described by Johan Christian Fabricius in 1781. The larvae are leaf miners on oak.
