Hyperdiverse
Guides
Cecidomyiidae
gall midges, gall gnats
Cecidomyiidae is a family of minute flies comprising over 6,650 described species, with estimates suggesting global diversity may exceed one million species. The family is characterized by larvae that typically feed within plant tissues, inducing abnormal growths called galls. Adults are delicate, 0.5–8 mm in length, with notably long antennae and hairy wings—unusual among Diptera. Some species exhibit paedogenesis, where larvae reproduce without maturing. The family includes major agricultural pests such as the Hessian fly and soybean gall midge, as well as species used in biological control.
Ichneumonidae
Ichneumonid wasps, Darwin wasps, Ichneumon wasps
Ichneumonidae is a family of parasitoid wasps within Hymenoptera, representing one of the most diverse insect families with approximately 25,000 described species and estimates of 60,000–100,000+ total species worldwide. Members are exclusively parasitoids, attacking immature stages of holometabolous insects and spiders, with larvae consuming living hosts before emergence. The family plays significant regulatory roles in insect populations across natural and agricultural ecosystems.
Ichneumoninae
Ichneumoninae is the second largest subfamily of Ichneumonidae, with over 420 genera and 4,375 described species distributed worldwide. Members are typically large, conspicuous, and often brightly colored parasitoid wasps. They are koinobiont or idiobiont endoparasitoids of Lepidoptera, with larvae developing inside moth and butterfly caterpillars or pupae. The subfamily was recently reorganized from 15 tribes to 7 tribes, with Ichneumonini containing well over 300 genera.
Ichneumonoidea
Ichneumonid and Braconid Wasps
Ichneumonoidea is a superfamily of Hymenoptera containing two extant families: Ichneumonidae and Braconidae, the two largest families within the order. The group encompasses an estimated 100,000 species, the vast majority undescribed. Members are solitary parasitoid wasps whose larvae develop on or inside host insects, eventually killing them. The superfamily is defined morphologically by fusion of the costal and radial veins of the fore wing and typically more than 11 antennal segments.
Xanthopygina
Xanthopygina is a subtribe of rove beetles (Staphylinidae) containing approximately 334 species distributed across the Neotropical region from the southern United States to Argentina. Species within this subtribe are frequently encountered in tropical forests and can be abundant in various microhabitats. The subtribe has been the subject of extensive taxonomic revision due to historically poorly defined genera, particularly the genus Gastrisus, which accumulated morphologically disparate species without clear diagnostic boundaries. Recent phylogenomic studies have resolved relationships within Xanthopygina, identifying nine major lineages and clarifying generic limits.