Evolutionary-radiation
Guides
Cynipoidea
Gall Wasps and Allies
Cynipoidea is a superfamily of small wasps comprising approximately 3,000 described species across seven extant families, with many undescribed species estimated. The group exhibits diverse life histories: while the family Cynipidae (gall wasps) are phytophagous and induce plant galls, the majority of species are parasitoids or hyperparasitoids of other insects. The superfamily is taxonomically challenging, with family-level identification historically difficult until the publication of a comprehensive illustrated key in 2020.
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Desmonomata is an infraorder of oribatid mites (beetle mites) within the suborder Oribatida. The group is notable for its exceptionally high incidence of thelytokous parthenogenesis: four of seven families are completely female-producing, and a fifth is nearly so. This reproductive mode appears obligate and ancient, with speciation and evolutionary radiation having occurred without biparental reproduction.