African Arthropods/Chalcidoidea
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]
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[edit | edit source]
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Ceratosolen galili female
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Elisabethiella comptoni female
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Elisabethiella comptoni male
Aphelinidae[edit | edit source]
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Eretmocerus sp.
Ceidae[edit | edit source]
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Bohpa maculata, female
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Bohpa maculata, female
Cerocephalidae[edit | edit source]
Chalcididae[edit | edit source]
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Brachymeria sp.
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Dirhinus sp.
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Epitranus sp.
Chrysolampidae[edit | edit source]
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Aperilampus sp., male
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Aperilampus sp., female
Diparidae[edit | edit source]
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Probably Lelaps sp. or Dipara sp. (male)
Encyrtidae[edit | edit source]
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Aenasius sp.
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Homalotylus sp.
Epichrysomallidae[edit | edit source]
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Lachaisea brevimucro
Eucharitidae[edit | edit source]
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Hydrorhoa stevensoni, male
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Stilbula sp., female
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Mateucharis glabra, male
Eulophidae[edit | edit source]
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Subfamily Eulophinae (Unidentified)
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Pediobius sp.
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Subfamily Tetrastichinae (Unidentified)
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Neotrichoporoides sp.
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Neotrichoporoides sp.
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Hemiptarsenus sp.
Eupelmidae[edit | edit source]
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Pentacladia sp.
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Eupelmus sp.
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Eupelmidae sp.
Eurytomidae[edit | edit source]
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Subfamily Eurytominae (Unidentified)
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Sycophila sp.
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Sycophila sp.
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Subfamily Eurytominae (Unidentified)
Leucospidae[edit | edit source]
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Micrapion sp.
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Leucospis sp.
Lyciscidae[edit | edit source]
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Solenura nigra
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Solenura nigra
Megastigmidae[edit | edit source]
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Megastigmus transvaalensis
Metapelmatidae[edit | edit source]
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Metapelma sp.
Mymaridae[edit | edit source]
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Polymema sp.
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Polymema sp. or Acmopolynema sp.
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Polynema sagittaria
Ormyridae[edit | edit source]
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Ormyrus sp.
Perilampidae[edit | edit source]
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Perilampus sp.
Pirenidae[edit | edit source]
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Spathopus sp.
Pteromalidae [edit | edit source]
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Halticoptera sp.
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Seres rotundus
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Otitesella sp.
Signiphoridae[edit | edit source]
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Signiphora flavella
Spalangiidae[edit | edit source]
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Spalangia sp.
Systasidae[edit | edit source]
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Systasis sp.
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Systasis sp.
Tetracampidae[edit | edit source]
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Afrocampe prinslooi
Torymidae [edit | edit source]
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Family Torymidae (unidentified)
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Podagrion sp.
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Ecdamua sp.
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Pseudotorymus sp.
Trichogrammatidae[edit | edit source]
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Poropoea africana
References[edit | edit source]
- ↑ Noyes, J.S. and Pitkin, B.R. 2003. Universal Chalcidoidea Database: About chalcidoids. The Natural History Museum, London. [1]
- ↑ van Noort, Simon (2023) WaspWeb: Hymenoptera of the Afrotropical region. www.waspweb.org, accessed on 9 May 2023.
- ↑ 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.
- ↑ 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
- ↑ 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