Anaxyelidae

Definition

A family of wood-wasps (Hymenoptera: Symphyta) comprising a single extant genus, Syntexis, with one living species restricted to western North America, plus numerous extinct genera documented from the Middle Jurassic to Early Cretaceous. The sole living species, Syntexis libocedrii, oviposits in the sapwood of fire-scorched conifers, particularly incense-cedars (Calocedrus) and junipers.

Etymology

Example

Anaxyelidae represents a relictual hymenopteran lineage; field surveys for Syntexis libocedrii target recently burned stands of Calocedrus decurrens in the Sierra Nevada, where females drill through charred bark to reach undamaged sapwood for oviposition.

Synonyms

• Syntexidae (historical)

Related Terms

• Symphyta
• Siricoidea
• wood-wasp
• Syntexis
• relict taxon
• fire ecology
• sapwood
• Jurassic insects
• Cretaceous Hymenoptera

Usage Notes

Sometimes misspelled Anaxyelidae; the family is notable for its extreme living fossil status—most diversity is extinct, with the single extant species serving as a flagship for studying fire-dependent insect life histories and Mesozoic hymenopteran radiation. Fossil anaxyelids are important index taxa for Early Cretaceous terrestrial ecosystems.