Evanioid
Guides
Aulacidae
Aulacid Wasps
Aulacidae is a small, cosmopolitan family of parasitoid wasps in the superfamily Evanioidea, containing approximately 200 known species across two extant genera: Aulacus and Pristaulacus. These wasps are primarily endoparasitoids of wood-boring insects, specifically targeting larvae of wood wasps (Xiphydriidae) and xylophagous beetles in the families Cerambycidae and Buprestidae. They are closely related to Gasteruptiidae and Evaniidae, sharing the distinctive evanioid trait of having the metasoma attached high on the propodeum above the hind coxae. Despite their wide distribution, aulacids are rarely collected and poorly studied, particularly in the Southern Hemisphere.