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.
A wasp is any insect of the narrow-waisted suborder Apocrita of the order Hymenoptera which is neither a bee nor an ant; this excludes the broad-waisted sawflies (Symphyta), which look somewhat like wasps, but are in a separate suborder. The wasps do not constitute a clade, a complete natural group with a single ancestor, as bees and ants are deeply nested within the wasps, having evolved from wasp ancestors. Wasps that are members of the clade Aculeata can sting their prey.
Agathidinae is a subfamily of braconid parasitoid wasps. Some species have been used in biological control programs.
Leptocybe invasa, the blue gum chalcid wasp or eucalyptus gall wasp, is a chalcid wasp which is the only species in the monotypic genus Leptocybe in the subfamily Tetrastichinae, of the family Eulophidae. It is a gall wasp which causes the formation of galls on a number of species of Eucalyptus, it was described in 2004 after galls were found in river red gums in the Mediterranean and Middle East and has since been found to be a widespread species where its host trees are planted. It is indigenous to Australia.
Dinocampus coccinellae is a braconid wasp parasite of coccinellid beetles, including the spotted lady beetle, Coleomegilla maculata. D. coccinellae has been described as turning its ladybird host into a temporary "zombie" guarding the wasp cocoon. About 25% of Coleomegilla maculata recover after the cocoon they are guarding matures, although the proportion of other ladybird species which recover is much lower.
Kollasmosoma sentum is a parasitoid wasp in the family Braconidae, which lays its eggs inside adult ants. It was featured as one of "the top 10 new species of 2012" in a list compiled by Conservationists at the Arizona State University International Institute for Species Exploration.
Dolichogenidea is a genus of parasitoid wasps in the family Braconidae. There are more than 360 described species in Dolichogenidea, found throughout the world.
Cystomastacoides kiddo is a species of parasitoid wasp belonging to the family Braconidae. The species was found during a 2006–2008 insect collection programme in Thailand. The name is derived from the character Beatrix Kiddo from the 2003 film Kill Bill, because of their resemblance in action and colour. It is one of the four species under the genus Cystomastacoides, and the only species in Thailand. As all other braconids, the female lays its eggs inside the body of other insects, such as moth caterpillar, so that the larvae use the host body as a source of food.
Cystomastacoides is a genus of parasitoid wasps belonging to the family Braconidae. It was named by Dutch entomologist Kees van Achterberg in 1997 from a single species Cystomastacoides coxalis discovered in Yunnan, China. There are only four species described in the genus, the other three having been reported on 19 March 2013. As typical ichneumon wasps, they are characterised by a deadly parasitoid behaviour. Their larvae grow inside the body of other insects, such as caterpillars, and feed on their internal organs inside the body until they emerge.
Cotesia urabae is a small wasp, having a black body with yellow-brown legs, characterized by a solitary larval endoparasitoid stage. It is part of a large complex of 11 primary parasitoids of Uraba lugens Walker, many of which are polyphagous. The female inserts its ovipositor into the a U. lugens larva, depositing its eggs there, and it has been found that one female may carry up to 400 eggs. While C. urabae females are able to attack the same larva several times; only one single parasitoid completes its development in each larva.
Meteorus is a genus of parasitoid wasps in the family Braconidae. It comprises over 330 species worldwide.
Bracon is a genus of wasps in the Braconidae, a family of parasitoid wasps. There are several hundred described species but there are thousands still undescribed. The genus is cosmopolitan, distributed throughout the world, with most of the described species occurring in the Palearctic realm.
Dinotrema is a genus of wasps in the family Braconidae. Species are amongst the largest parasitoid wasps in the tribe Alysiini (Alysiinae). There are approximately 350 species described around worldwide.
Spathius is a genus of doryctine wasps. The larvae of this genus of wasps feed on beetle larvae. They act as biological controllers of the certain pest beetles, such as Hylurgopinus rufipes and the emerald ash borer.
Hybrizon is the genus in the subfamily Hybrizontinae of ichneumonid parasitoid wasps. The subfamily was previously called Paxylommatinae, and has in the past been considered part Braconidae, or a separate family altogether.
Alabagrus texanus is a species of braconid wasp in the family Braconidae. It develops within the larvae of Herpetogramma theseusalis. Males emerge from pupation earlier than females. Females typically only mate once, whereas males mate more than once.
Helconinae is a subfamily of braconid wasps in the family Braconidae.
The Amicrocentrinae are a subfamily of braconid parasitoid wasps. Members of this subfamily were previously included in the Macrocentrinae.
Hormius is a genus of parasitoid wasp in the subfamily Hormiinae first described by Christian Gottfried Daniel Nees von Esenbeck in 1818.
