Cretaceous-relict
Guides
Mymarommatoidea
fairyfly-like parasitic wasps
Mymarommatoidea is a minute superfamily of parasitoid wasps containing a single extant family, Mymarommatidae, and three extinct families known from Cretaceous amber. Adults measure approximately 0.3 mm in length, making them among the smallest insects. The superfamily remained without a confirmed host record for nearly a century until 2022, when a Hawaiian species was documented as an egg parasitoid of barklice (Psocodea). Most described species are fossils; extant species are globally distributed but easily overlooked due to their microscopic size.
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.