Chalcid-wasps
Guides
Ablaxia
Ablaxia is a genus of small parasitoid wasps in the family Pteromalidae. A 2026 study summarized nine previously known species—one Nearctic, two Neotropical, and six Western Palaearctic—and described two more from Cyprus. Species are distinguished by fine structural characters, including proportions of the abdomen and temples, rather than by a simple field mark. The hosts of the two newly described Cyprus species are unknown.
Ceidae
Ceidae is a small family of chalcid wasps in Hymenoptera. Modern classifications recognize it within Chalcidoidea; older treatments placed it as the subfamily Ceinae within Pteromalidae. The family includes Bohpa, Cea, and Spalangiopelta. Available host records show that some members are parasitoids of other small insects, but the biology of every ceid species is not equally documented.
Chrysolampus
Chrysolampus is a genus of chalcid wasps. A life-history study reports species from arid parts of western North America, where they parasitize tychiine weevils developing in legume seed pods. Two studied species show specialized larval development: the mobile first instar locates and attacks a weevil host before later larval forms develop.
Cratocentrinae
Cratocentrinae is a subfamily of chalcid wasps (Chalcididae) established by Steffan in 1951. The group was historically recognized by specific morphological characters that have been subject to recent reappraisal. West Palaearctic species were reviewed in 2018, with first European records documented and two new species described. The subfamily includes genera such as Cratocentrus and Philocentrus.
Lyciscidae
Lyciscidae is a family of small chalcid wasps in the order Hymenoptera and superfamily Chalcidoidea. The family was established by Bouček in 1958 and has since been treated in revised classifications of chalcidoid wasps. Its members are diverse in form and include wasps associated with concealed insect hosts. Available records emphasize parasitoid relationships, especially with insects living in wood, but host use differs among genera.
Neanastatidae
Neanastatidae is a family of small chalcid wasps in the superfamily Chalcidoidea. The family contains the genera Lambdobregma and Neanastatus, which were formerly placed in the Neanastatinae of Eupelmidae. Members are parasitoids or hyperparasitoids associated with fly or beetle larvae. Its current family placement reflects a revised classification of Chalcidoidea.
Obeza
Obeza is a genus of chalcid wasps in the family Eucharitidae containing eight described species. Members of this genus are parasitoids of ants, with Obeza floridana specifically documented as parasitizing Camponotus abdominalis floridanus in Florida. The genus was established by Heraty in 1985.
Scutellista
Scutellista is a genus of chalcid wasps in the family Pteromalidae; GBIF lists ten accepted species. Members are parasitoids of scale insects, although detailed biological evidence is concentrated on particular species. In Scutellista caerulea, laboratory work examined development and reproduction under different temperatures and day lengths. The genus is best treated as a technical identification group rather than a wasp that can be reliably recognized from a single general field mark.
Spalangiinae
Spalangiinae is a subfamily of chalcid wasps in the family Spalangiidae. Members are parasitoids: their developing offspring use other insects, and published family-level accounts identify flies as their hosts. The group is placed in Hymenoptera, within the chalcid superfamily Chalcidoidea. Spalangiinae also illustrates how wasp classification can change as evolutionary evidence improves.