Cynipoidea
Guides
Andricus burnetti
Andricus burnetti is a species of gall wasp in the family Cynipidae, a group renowned for inducing diverse and structurally complex galls on oak trees. As a member of the genus Andricus, this species participates in the intricate life cycle characteristic of cynipid wasps, where females lay eggs in oak tissues and the developing larvae secrete substances that redirect plant growth to form specialized galls. The species was described by Burnett, for whom it is named. Like many Andricus species, it likely exhibits host specificity to particular oak species, though detailed biological accounts remain limited in published literature.
Banacuniculus
Banacuniculus is a genus of parasitoid wasps in the family Figitidae, subfamily Eucoilinae. The genus was described by Buffington in 2010. It is represented by at least one described species, Banacuniculus brautigani, known from a holotype specimen deposited in the USNM collection. The genus belongs to a diverse group of cynipoid wasps that are primarily parasitoids of Diptera larvae.
Banacuniculus utilis
Banacuniculus utilis is a species of parasitoid wasp in the family Figitidae (Hymenoptera). The genus Banacuniculus belongs to the Cynipoidea superfamily, a group of small wasps primarily known as parasitoids of other insects. Very little published information exists on the biology or ecology of this particular species.
Ibalia
Ibalia is a genus of parasitoid wasps in the family Ibaliidae, comprising approximately 13-14 described species. All species are specialized parasitoids of siricid woodwasps (family Siricidae), attacking the larval stages of their hosts within dead or decaying wood. Females locate host larvae by detecting volatile compounds emitted by symbiotic fungi that siricids cultivate for nutrition. The genus is notable for its laterally compressed abdomen, giving a distinctive flattened appearance, and for its role as a biological control agent against invasive woodwasps such as Sirex noctilio.
parasitoidwoodwasp-parasitoidbiological-controlforest-insectCynipoideaproovigenicolfactory-foragingcuticular-hydrocarbonesalkane-pheromonesSiricidae-parasitoidAmylostereumCerrenavolatileshost-finding-behaviorpatch-foragingcon-specific-interferenceflight-capacitylaterally-compressed-abdomenIbalia-ancepsIbalia-leucospoidesIbalia-drewseniIbalia-japonicaIbalia-rufipesIbalia-ruficollisIbaliidae
ibaliid wasps
The Ibaliidae are a small family of parasitoid wasps in the superfamily Cynipoidea, comprising three extant genera (Ibalia, Heteribalia, and Eileenella) with approximately 20 species worldwide. Unlike most cynipoids, which are phytophagous gall-formers, ibaliids are parasitoids of wood-boring sawfly larvae in the family Siricidae. Adults are notably large for cynipoids, reaching up to 30 mm in length, with a distinctive laterally compressed abdomen. The family is sister to the rest of Cynipoidea excluding the small subfamily Austrocynipidae.
Liopteridae
Liopteridae is a family of parasitoid wasps in the superfamily Cynipoidea, comprising approximately 140 species across 10 genera. Members are primarily larval parasitoids of wood-boring beetles, with the first definitive host record confirming Paramblynotus koreanus as a parasitoid of the weevil Carcilia strigicollis. The family exhibits worldwide distribution with notable concentrations in the African Tropics and is associated with broadleaf forest habitats.