Basal-apocrita
Guides
Stephanidae
Crown Wasps
Stephanidae, commonly called crown wasps, are a family of solitary idiobiont ectoparasitoid wasps and the sole living members of the superfamily Stephanoidea. The family comprises approximately 365 extant species in 13 genera, plus four extinct genera known from Cretaceous and Tertiary fossils. They are considered the most basal lineage of Apocrita and are rare in collections, with nearly 95% of species described from single specimens. Their distinctive morphology includes a semicircular ocellar corona on the head and highly modified hind legs adapted for host location in wood.