Tetrastichinae
Guides
Aprostocetus
Aprostocetus is a large genus of parasitoid wasps in the family Eulophidae, established by Westwood in 1833. With approximately 800 described species, it has a global distribution across all major zoogeographic regions. Species are primarily ectoparasitoids or endoparasitoids of insects inhabiting plant galls, including gall midges (Cecidomyiidae), gall wasps (Cynipoidea), and other hosts spanning Hemiptera, Coleoptera, Lepidoptera, Blattodea, Orthoptera, and Neuroptera. Some species are phytophagous, inducing galls directly on plants. The genus is economically significant as a source of biological control agents for invasive pests.
Aprostocetus fidius
Aprostocetus fidius is a species of chalcid wasp in the family Eulophidae, subfamily Tetrastichinae, described by Girault in 1917. It belongs to a large genus of parasitoid wasps that are frequently associated with gall-forming insects and other arthropods. The species is recorded from several U.S. states including Florida, Illinois, Mississippi, and New Mexico. Like other members of Tetrastichinae, it is presumed to be a parasitoid, though specific host associations for this species remain poorly documented.
Leptocybe
blue gum chalcid wasp, eucalyptus gall wasp
Leptocybe is a monotypic genus of gall wasps in the family Eulophidae, containing the single species L. invasa. Native to Queensland, Australia, this genus has become globally significant as an invasive pest of Eucalyptus plantations. The wasp induces spherical galls on leaf buds and young tissues of multiple Eucalyptus species, causing substantial economic damage to forestry operations worldwide. The genus is characterized by extremely small body size, thelytokous parthenogenetic reproduction, and rapid population expansion in introduced ranges.
Melittobia
Melittobia is a genus of tiny parasitoid wasps in the family Eulophidae, notable for extreme polymorphism, complex social behaviors, and highly female-biased sex ratios. Females exhibit three distinct morphs—winged 'fliers,' short-winged 'jumpers,' and wingless 'crawlers'—determined by larval density rather than genetics. Males are blind, flightless, and comprise only about 5% of offspring, produced asexually through arrhenotokous parthenogenesis. The genus attacks prepupae and pupae of solitary bees, wasps, and other insects in their hosts' nests, with some species also parasitizing fruit flies and flesh flies. Several species are well-studied model organisms for genetics, developmental biology, and behavioral ecology, though taxonomic confusion persists due to extreme morphological plasticity.
Minotetrastichus frontalis
Minotetrastichus frontalis is a chalcid wasp in the family Eulophidae. It is an ectoparasitoid of leaf-mining moths in the genus Phyllonorycter, with larvae feeding on both larval and pupal stages of the host. The species has four larval instars and completes preimaginal development in 11–14 days.
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.
Quadrastichus
Quadrastichus is a genus of small parasitic wasps in the family Eulophidae, subfamily Tetrastichinae. The genus includes species with diverse ecological roles: some are gall-inducing pests of trees, while others are ectoparasitoids used in biological control programs. Notable species include Quadrastichus erythrinae, an invasive gall wasp that damages Erythrina (coral trees) in tropical and subtropical regions, and Q. mendeli, an obligate ectoparasitoid of the eucalyptus pest Leptocybe invasa that has been successfully established for biological control across multiple countries.