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African Arthropods/Chalcidoidea

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The megadiverse Superfamily Chalcidoidea has more than 22 000 described species (>2 800 in Africa) and there may be as many as 500 000 undescribed species. Most of these are tiny (less than 3 mm long), and are parasites of a wide variety of insects, spiders and mites, but some chalcidoid larvae eat plant material (in galls or seeds).[1][2]

South African Chalcidoid wasps moved to new (2018-2022) families: Metapelmus sp. from Eupelmidae to Metapelmatidae[3]; Bohpa maculata from Pteromalidae to Ceidae[3]; Spalangia sp. from Pteromalidae to Spalangiidae[3]; Spathopus sp. from Pteromalidae to Pirenidae[3]; Aperilampus sp. from Perilampidae to Chrysolampidae [4]; Megastigmus transvaalensis from Torymidae to Megastigmidae[5]; Lelaps or Dipara sp. from Pteromalidae to Diparidae[3]; Lachaisea brevimucro from Pteromalidae to Epichrysomallidae[3]; and Solenura nigra from Pteromalidae to Lyciscidae[3].

Before 2018, these species were placed in about 19 accepted families. However, over the past few decades, a host of studies investigating their biology, their morphology, and their DNA have suggested that many more families should be recognized. In 2022 a group of wasp taxonomists agreed to recognize about 50 families worldwide.[3]

Macro photography has allowed non-scientists a view into the world of these minute creatures, but learning more about them is a challenge. Even with high-quality macro photographs of free-flying wasps, expert hymenopterists are unable to identify most chalcidoids to species or genus level. Nevertheless, with the help of the specialists that contribute identifications on iNaturalist and Hymenopterists Forum, it has been possible to put together this page, illustrated with photographs of live wasps from 23 of the 35-odd chalcidoid families known in Africa; it is supplemented with photos of museum specimens from another four families.

Many more images (mostly of museum specimens, including type specimens) can be found on WaspWeb. This includes photos of wasps from the following families not shown here: Azotidae, Cleonymidae, Herbertiidae, Heydeniidae, Neanastatidae, and Tanaostigmatidae.


Agaonidae

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  • Ceratosolen galili female
    Ceratosolen galili female
  • Elisabethiella comptoni female
    Elisabethiella comptoni female
  • Elisabethiella comptoni male
    Elisabethiella comptoni male

Aphelinidae

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Calesidae

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  • Cales sp.; female
    Cales sp.; female
  • Cales sp.; male
    Cales sp.; male

Ceidae

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  • Bohpa maculata, female
    Bohpa maculata, female
  • Bohpa maculata, female
    Bohpa maculata, female

Cerocephalidae

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Chalcididae

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  • Brachymeria sp.
    Brachymeria sp.
  • Dirhinus sp.
    Dirhinus sp.
  • Epitranus sp.
    Epitranus sp.

Chrysolampidae

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  • Aperilampus sp., male
    Aperilampus sp., male
  • Aperilampus sp., female
    Aperilampus sp., female

Diparidae

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  • Probably Lelaps sp. or Dipara sp. (male)
    Probably Lelaps sp. or Dipara sp. (male)

Encyrtidae

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  • Aenasius sp.
    Aenasius sp.
  • Homalotylus sp.
    Homalotylus sp.

Eunotidae

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  • Scutellista sp. at a Croton megalabotrys nectary
    Scutellista sp. at a Croton megalabotrys nectary
  • Scutellista sp. on a Croton megalabotrys petiole
    Scutellista sp. on a Croton megalabotrys petiole

Epichrysomallidae

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  • Lachaisea brevimucro
    Lachaisea brevimucro

Eucharitidae

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  • Hydrorhoa stevensoni, male
    Hydrorhoa stevensoni, male
  • Stilbula sp., female
    Stilbula sp., female
  • Mateucharis glabra, male
    Mateucharis glabra, male

Eulophidae

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  • Subfamily Eulophinae (Unidentified)
    Subfamily Eulophinae (Unidentified)
  • Pediobius sp.
    Pediobius sp.
  • Subfamily Tetrastichinae (Unidentified)
    Subfamily Tetrastichinae (Unidentified)
  • Neotrichoporoides sp.
    Neotrichoporoides sp.
  • Neotrichoporoides sp.
    Neotrichoporoides sp.
  • Hemiptarsenus sp.
    Hemiptarsenus sp.

Eupelmidae

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  • Pentacladia sp.
    Pentacladia sp.
  • Eupelmus sp.
    Eupelmus sp.
  • Eupelmidae sp.
    Eupelmidae sp.

Eurytomidae

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  • Subfamily Eurytominae (Unidentified)
    Subfamily Eurytominae (Unidentified)
  • Sycophila sp.
    Sycophila sp.
  • Sycophila sp.
    Sycophila sp.
  • Subfamily Eurytominae (Unidentified)
    Subfamily Eurytominae (Unidentified)

Leucospidae

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  • Micrapion sp.
    Micrapion sp.
  • Leucospis sp.
    Leucospis sp.

Lyciscidae

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  • Solenura nigra
    Solenura nigra
  • Solenura nigra
    Solenura nigra

Megastigmidae

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  • Megastigmus transvaalensis
    Megastigmus transvaalensis

Metapelmatidae

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  • Metapelma sp.
    Metapelma sp.

Mymaridae

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  • Polymema sp.
    Polymema sp.
  • Polymema sp. or Acmopolynema sp.
    Polymema sp. or Acmopolynema sp.
  • Polynema sagittaria
    Polynema sagittaria

Ormyridae

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  • Male Ormyrus wasps on a stem gall
    Male Ormyrus wasps on a stem gall
  • Female Ormyrus wasp ovipositing
    Female Ormyrus wasp ovipositing

Perilampidae

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  • Perilampus sp.
    Perilampus sp.

Pirenidae

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  • Spathopus sp.
    Spathopus sp.

Pteromalidae

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  • Halticoptera sp.
    Halticoptera sp.
  • Seres rotundus
    Seres rotundus
  • Otitesella sp.
    Otitesella sp.

Signiphoridae

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  • Signiphora flavella
    Signiphora flavella

Spalangiidae

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  • Spalangia sp.
    Spalangia sp.

Systasidae

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  • Systasis sp.
    Systasis sp.
  • Systasis sp.
    Systasis sp.

Tetracampidae

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  • Afrocampe prinslooi
    Afrocampe prinslooi

Torymidae

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  • Family Torymidae (unidentified)
    Family Torymidae (unidentified)
  • Podagrion sp.
    Podagrion sp.
  • Ecdamua sp.
    Ecdamua sp.
  • Pseudotorymus sp.
    Pseudotorymus sp.

Trichogrammatidae

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  • Poropoea africana
    Poropoea africana

References

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  1. ↑ Noyes, J.S. and Pitkin, B.R. 2003. Universal Chalcidoidea Database: About chalcidoids. The Natural History Museum, London. [1]
  2. ↑ van Noort, Simon (2023) WaspWeb: Hymenoptera of the Afrotropical region. www.waspweb.org, accessed on 9 May 2023.
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 3.5 3.6 3.7 Roger A. Burks; Mircea-Dan Mitroiu; Lucian Fusu et al. (20 December 2022). "From hell’s heart I stab at thee! A determined approach towards a monophyletic Pteromalidae and reclassification of Chalcidoidea (Hymenoptera)". Journal of Hymenoptera Research 94: 13-88. doi:10.3897/JHR.94.94263. Wikidata Q115923766. ISSN 1070-9428. 
  4. ↑ Zhang, J., Heraty, J. M., Darling, C., Kresslein, R. L., Baker, A. J., Torréns, J., Rasplus, J. Y., Lemmon A. & Moriarty Lemmon, E. (2022). Anchored phylogenomics and a revised classification of the planidial larva clade of jewel wasps (Hymenoptera: Chalcidoidea). Systematic Entomology, 47(2), 329-353. DOI
  5. ↑ Janšta, P., Cruaud, A., Delvare, G., Genson, G., Heraty, J., Křížková, B. and Rasplus, J.Y. (2018). Torymidae (Hymenoptera, Chalcidoidea) revised: molecular phylogeny, circumscription and reclassification of the family with discussion of its biogeography and evolution of life‐history traits. Cladistics, 34(6), pp.627-651. DOI
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