Parasitic-wasp
Guides
Afrida
Afrida is a genus of parasitic wasps in the family Encyrtidae (Hymenoptera: Chalcidoidea). The genus is represented in the University of California, Riverside (UCR) entomology collection, which holds one of the largest and most important Encyrtidae collections globally. Specimens of Afrida in this collection were sorted to genus level by J. Noyes in 1998 as part of a major reorganization effort. The UCR collection contains representatives of 261 valid encyrtid genera, with many undetermined specimens requiring further taxonomic study.
Allophroides
Allophroides is a genus of parasitic wasps in the family Ichneumonidae, established by Horstmann in 1971. The genus contains approximately 12 described species, with Allophroides boops designated as the type species. Most species have been described relatively recently, with several added by Horstmann in 2013. Members of this genus are koinobiont parasitoids, though specific host associations remain poorly documented.
Allophrys divaricata
Allophrys divaricata is a species of ichneumon wasp described by Horstmann in 2010. It belongs to the family Ichneumonidae, one of the largest families of parasitoid wasps. The species has been recorded from the Nearctic and Neotropical regions, including the United States, Mexico, Trinidad & Tobago, and Argentina. Like other ichneumonids, it is presumed to be a parasitoid, though specific biological details remain limited.
Argochrysis
cuckoo wasps
Argochrysis is a genus of cuckoo wasps (family Chrysididae) containing approximately five described species. Members are obligate cleptoparasites of solitary ground-nesting wasps in the genus Ammophila. The genus is notable for sophisticated learned foraging behaviors, including visual host location during nest excavation, spatial memory for nest locations, and surveillance of multiple nests during host absence.
Aulogymnus smithi
Aulogymnus smithi is a species of parasitic wasp in the family Eulophidae, described by Schauff and Gates in 2005. The genus Aulogymnus belongs to the subfamily Eulophinae within the superfamily Chalcidoidea. Eulophid wasps are typically small parasitoids, and members of this genus are known to attack various insect hosts.
Ceropalinae
cuckoo spider wasps
Ceropalinae is a subfamily of spider wasps (Pompilidae) comprising two genera: Ceropales and Irenangelus. Members are obligate kleptoparasites that exploit the nests of other solitary wasps, primarily fellow pompilids that hunt spiders. Unlike most spider wasps that provision their own nests with paralyzed spiders, ceropalines invade the nests of host wasps to lay their eggs on spiders already captured and stored by the host. This parasitic lifestyle represents a distinct evolutionary strategy within the Pompilidae.
Chrysis propria
Chrysis propria is a species of cuckoo wasp in the family Chrysididae. Cuckoo wasps are parasitic wasps that lay eggs in the nests of other solitary wasps and bees. Members of the genus Chrysis are known for their striking metallic coloration and armored exoskeletons that provide defense against host attacks.
Cleonymidae
Cleonymidae is a family of parasitic wasps in the superfamily Chalcidoidea, elevated from subfamily status within Pteromalidae based on morphological and phylogenetic studies. The family contains approximately 190 documented observations and includes seven recognized genera: Agrilocida, Callocleonymus, Cleonymus, Dasycleonymus, Notanisus, and Zolotarewskya. Members are small parasitoids, though specific biological details for the family remain poorly documented in published literature.
Eupelmus cynipidis
Eupelmus cynipidis is a parasitic wasp in the family Eupelmidae, subgenus Eupelmus (Eupelmus). The species was described by Ashmead in 1882. A taxonomic revision synonymized Eupelmus quercus under this name. The species is recorded from Florida and Louisiana.
Eusapyga verticalis
Eusapyga verticalis is a species of sapygid wasp in the family Sapygidae. Sapygid wasps are cleptoparasitic, meaning females lay eggs in the nests of other solitary bees and wasps, where their larvae consume the host's provisions. The species is part of a small family of wasps that are relatively poorly studied compared to their better-known relatives in the families Mutillidae and Scoliidae.
Foxia
Foxia is a genus of cleptoparasitic wasps in the family Crabronidae, subfamily Bembicinae. The genus comprises 10 described species distributed across arid regions of the New World, from the United States south through Chile and Argentina. These wasps are obligate cleptoparasites, meaning they exploit the nests and provisions of other wasp species rather than constructing their own nests or hunting prey directly.
Heimbra
A small genus of chalcidoid wasps in the family Eurytomidae, subfamily Heimbrinae. Species of Heimbra are poorly represented in entomological collections and have been documented from Mexico, Argentina, Paraguay, and Brazil. At least three species are recognized: H. bicolor, H. dioneae, and H. pulchra. The genus is characterized by morphological features typical of Heimbrinae, though detailed biological information remains limited.
Hockeria bicolor
Hockeria bicolor is a species of parasitic wasp in the family Chalcididae, described by Halstead in 1990. It belongs to the subfamily Haltichellinae and tribe Haltichellini. The species epithet 'bicolor' refers to its two-colored appearance. Like other chalcidid wasps, it is likely a parasitoid of other insects, though specific host records are not documented in the provided sources. The species has been recorded from multiple localities in eastern North America.
Kulcania
Kulcania is a genus of parasitic wasps in the family Orussidae, established by Benson in 1935. The genus is currently listed as doubtful in taxonomic databases, indicating uncertainty about its validity or distinctness from related genera. Members of Orussidae, commonly called parasitic wood wasps, are unusual among Hymenoptera as they are parasitoids of wood-boring beetle larvae rather than other wasps or bees.
Lamennaisia ambigua
Lamennaisia ambigua is a species of parasitic wasp in the family Encyrtidae, originally described as Encyrtus ambiguus by Nees in 1834. It is one of the species represented in the University of California Riverside's extensive Encyrtidae collection, which is noted as one of the largest and most important collections of this family worldwide. The species has been recorded from Canada (Saskatchewan), Denmark, Norway, and Madeira Island (Portugal).
Leucospis slossonae
Leucospis slossonae is a parasitic wasp in the family Leucospidae, a group of unusually large chalcidoid wasps. Like other leucospids, females possess a distinctive whip-like ovipositor that curls over the top of the abdomen, used to drill into wood and deposit eggs in the nests of solitary bees. The species is known from the southeastern United States.
Nyssonini
Nyssonini is a tribe of cleptoparasitic wasps within the subfamily Bembicinae, family Crabronidae. Members are characterized by distinctive wing venation and heavily sculptured body surfaces. The tribe comprises approximately 238 species across 18 genera with worldwide distribution. As cleptoparasites, they exploit the nests of other wasps rather than constructing their own.
Paragaleopsomyia
Paragaleopsomyia is a genus of minute parasitic wasps in the family Eulophidae, subfamily Tetrastichinae. The genus was described by Girault in 1917. Like other eulophid wasps, members of this genus are likely parasitoids of other insects, though specific host associations remain poorly documented. The genus is known from the Nearctic region.
Paratiphia texana
Paratiphia texana is a species of wasp in the family Tiphiidae, first described by Cameron in 1907. The genus Paratiphia comprises parasitic wasps within the Aculeata, a group characterized by stingers derived from modified ovipositors. Like other tiphiid wasps, this species likely functions as a parasitoid, though specific host associations remain poorly documented. The species epithet 'texana' suggests a connection to Texas, possibly indicating the type locality or primary region of occurrence.
Pschornia striata
Pschornia striata is a species of parasitic wasp in the family Proctotrupidae, described by Townes in 1981. Members of this family are typically small, rarely encountered parasitoids whose biology remains poorly documented. The genus Pschornia was established to accommodate species with distinctive morphological features separating them from related proctotrupid genera.
Sierolomorpha nigrescens
Sierolomorpha nigrescens is a species of parasitic wasp in the family Sierolomorphidae, described by Evans in 1961. It belongs to a small family of Hymenoptera with limited ecological documentation. The species has been recorded across western North America from Canada to the southwestern United States.
Uropelma formosum
Uropelma formosum is a species of parasitic wasp in the family Eupelmidae, described by Sharkov in 1988. The genus Uropelma belongs to the chalcidoid wasp superfamily, a diverse group of tiny parasitoids. Distribution records indicate presence in Cuba (CU). The family Eupelmidae comprises species that are primarily parasitoids of insect eggs and larvae.