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.
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.
The Eucharitidae are a family of parasitic wasps. Eucharitid wasps are members of the superfamily Chalcidoidea and consist of three subfamilies: Oraseminae, Eucharitinae, and Gollumiellinae. Most of the 55 genera and 417 species of Eucharitidae are members of the subfamilies Oraseminae and Eucharitinae, and are found in tropical regions of the world.
The Trichogrammatidae are a family of small endoparasitoid wasps in the superfamily Chalcidoidea that include some of the smallest of all insects, with most species having adults less than 1 mm in length, with species of Megaphragma having an adult body length less than 300 μm. Over 840 species are placed in about 80 genera; their distribution is worldwide.
Encyrtidae is a large family of parasitic wasps, with some 3710 described species in about 455 genera. The larvae of the majority are primary parasitoids on Hemiptera, though other hosts are attacked, and details of the life history can be variable. They are found throughout the world in virtually all habitats, and are extremely important as biological control agents. They may also present as an ecological threat to the population of some species. For example, the endangered Papilio homerus butterfly is parasitized at a rate of 77%, making them the main contributor to egg mortality in this butterfly species.
Signiphoridae is a small family of parasitic wasps in the superfamily Chalcidoidea. The roughly 80 species are placed in four genera.
Alexandre Arsène Girault was an American entomologist specializing in the study of chalcid wasps. An eccentric and controversial figure, Girault was also a prolific and dedicated entomologist. He published more than 325 papers and described over 3000 new taxa from Australia.
Tamarixia is a genus of hymenopteran insects of the family Eulophidae, they are parasitoids of Jumping plant lice or psyllids of the superfamily Psylloidea, although some species will parasitise aphids. Most species appear to be ectoparasitoids but at least one species has been recorded as an endoparasitoid.
Anagyrus is a large genus of parasitic wasps from the family Encyrtidae. Anagyrus is distributed throughout the world. A subgenus of Anagyrus is known as Nesoanagyrus
Myanmymar is an extinct genus of fairyfly preserved in Burmese amber from Myanmar. It has only one species, Myanmymar aresconoides. It is dated to the earliest part of the Cenomanian stage of the Late Cretaceous, around 99 million years old. As of 2011, it is the oldest known fossil mymarid.
Gordon Gordh is an American entomologist.
Megaphragma is a genus of wasp in the family Trichogrammatidae. It contains some of the smallest known insects, Megaphragma caribea and Megaphragma mymaripenne, which are roughly the same size as some unicellular protozoans.
Archencyrtus is an extinct genus of wasp in the Chalcidoidea family Encyrtidae. The genus contains a single described species, Archencyrtus rasnitsyni known from a Middle Eocene fossil that was found in Eastern Asia.
John Stuart Noyes is a Welsh entomologist.
Austroencyrtus is a genus of parasitic wasps.
Ooencyrtus is a genus of chalcid wasp. William Harris Ashmead named and circumscribed the genus in 1900.
Parachalcerinys is a genus of wasp. As of 2018, three species are recognized, which are all found in Australia.
Plutarchia is a genus of chalcid wasp in the subfamily Eurytominae. Alexandre Arsène Girault first circumscribed the genus in 1925; its name honors Plutarch. The genus initially only comprised its type species, P. bicarinativentris, found in Australia. Subsequent species from South Asia and Nigeria have been described and transferred to Plutarchia.
Chalcedectidae is a small family of chalcid wasps, previously classified as part of the subfamily Cleonyminae, in the polyphyletic family Pteromalidae. Most species are parasitoids of wood-boring beetles.
Mesopeltita is a genus of chalcid wasps. The only species, Mesopeltita truncatipennis, is a parasitoid of coccid scale insects ; it has been found on pigeon pea, Cajanus cajan. The species has been found in many countries.
