Chrysidinae

Classification

Phylum: Arthropoda
Subphylum: Hexapoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Hymenoptera
Superfamily: Chrysidoidea
Family: Chrysididae
Subfamily: Chrysidinae

Pronunciation

How to pronounce Chrysidinae: //ˈkrɪsɪˌdaɪniː//

These audio files are automatically generated. While they are not always 100% accurate, they are a good starting point.

Images

Pseudomalus auratus (female) (30744204443) by Martin Cooper from Ipswich, UK. Used under a CC BY 2.0 license.

Caenochrysis doriae, U, Face, MD, Baltimore County 2014-03-11-16.08.45 ZS PMax (13591465453) by USGS Bee Inventory and Monitoring Lab from Beltsville, Maryland, USA. Used under a Public domain license.

Pseudomalus auratus (46125031754) by Christina Butler from Georgia, United States. Used under a CC BY 2.0 license.

GP.722 Pseudomalus auratus f by Pekka Malinen, Luomus. Used under a CC BY-SA 4.0 license.

Chrysis conica (13588125805) by USGS Bee Inventory and Monitoring Lab from Beltsville, Maryland, USA. Used under a Public domain license.

GP.139 Omalus aeneus f by Pekka Malinen, Luomus. Used under a CC BY-SA 4.0 license.

Summary

Chrysidinae, or cuckoo wasps, is a large and diverse subfamily of the family Chrysididae, characterized by their metallic coloration and brood parasitic behavior.

Physical Characteristics

Chrysidinae are highly sculptured with brilliantly metallic-colored bodies, primarily blues and greens. The terga are strongly convex with sterna that are flat or concave. Females have three visible metasomal segments, while Parnopine males have four. Their sting apparatus has been modified into an egg-laying tube and they cannot sting in defense.

Identification Tips

Look for their distinctive 'scurry and fly' behavior when searching for hosts, characterized by short spurts of movement and quivering antennae.

Habitat

Typically associated with solitary bees and wasp species in desert regions, they are found in dry, warm, and open areas.

Distribution

Worldwide, with 3000 species and 48 genera. The tribes Chrysidini and Elampini are abundant and widespread, while Allocoeliini is found in South Africa, and Kimseyini has a single genus and species in Uzbekistan.

Diet

Adults consume flower nectar while searching for nests for their eggs.

Life Cycle

They are brood parasitoids, laying their eggs in the nests of crabronid wasps, bees, and eumenine vespids.

Reproduction

Eggs are laid in host nests with the ovipositor used to slip them in. Their larvae consume the host or its provisions while still young.

Ecosystem Role

Kleptoparasites, they play a role in the dynamics of their host nests by consuming host larvae and provisions.

Evolution

Part of a diverse lineage, this subfamily is adapted for parasitism and for exploiting solitary nesting behaviors of other Hymenoptera.

Misconceptions

They are often thought to be harmful due to their appearance and association with wasps, but they cannot sting.