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HYMENOPTERA, Chalcididae (Leach 1830) -
(Chalcidoidea) -- <Images> & <Juveniles> Deacription Chalcididae. -- These are medium
sized wasps about 2.2-8 mm long. Their
hind femora are swollen and bear teeth.
The chalcidids have antennae that are bent and very small. The body is laterally compressed. They are distinguished from the
leucospidids by having their ovipositor short and their wings not folded
longitudinally when resting. The eggs
are produced parthenogenetically at the rate of 300-400. The chalcidids
are parasitoids of Lepidoptera, Diptera, and Coleoptera, and some are
hyperparasitoids that attack tachinids or ichneumonids. The clover seed chalcid,
Bruchophagus platyptera (Walker),
is a serious pest of alfalfa seed and clover. Destruction can exceed 85 percent. The eggs are deposited through the seed pod, and only one larva
will develop per seed. Pupation
occurs in the seed. Control is especially
difficult and involves eliminating light where seed is stored, and
synchronizing seed production with periods of low pest activity. They
are a moderate-sized family within the Chalcidoidea, composed mostly of
parasitoids and a few hyperparasitoids. The family is believed to be
polyphyletic, though the different subfamilies may each be monophyletic, and
some may be elevated to family status in the near future. As presently
defined, there are over 87 genera and over 1458 species worldwide. They are
often black with yellow, red, or white markings, rarely brilliantly metallic,
with a robust mesosoma and very strong sculpturing. The hind femora are often
greatly enlarged, with a row of teeth or serrations along the lower margin. One of the more
remarkable uses of the muscular hind legs is the species Lasiochalcidia
igiliensis, which attacks the dangerous, predatory larvae of ant lions,
holding the mandibles of the larva spread apart while the wasp carefully
injects an egg into the membrane of the exposed throat. = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = References: Please refer to <biology.ref.htm>, [Additional references
may be found at: MELVYL
Library] Boucek, Z. 1988.
Australasian Chalcidoidea, a biosystematic revision of genera of
fourteen families, with a reclassification of species. CAB Internatl., Wallingford, UK. 832 p. Boucek, Z. 1951 (1952). The first revision of the European species of the family Chalcididae
(Hymenoptera). Acta. Ent. Mus. Natl. Prague 27: 1-108. Boucek, Z. & T. C.
Narendran. 1981. Indian chalcid wasps (Hymenoptera) of the
genus Dirhinus parasitic on
synanthropic and other Diptera. Syst.
Ent. 6: 229-51. Burks, B. D. 1940.
Revision of the chalcid-flies of the Tribe Chalcidini in America north
of Mexico. Proc. U.S. Nat. Mus.
88: 237-354. Burks, B. D. 1947.
Nearctic species of the genus Dirhinus
(Hymenoptera, Chalcididae). Proc.
Ent. Soc. Wash. 49(5): 136-40. Burks, B. D. 1959.
The North American species of Trigonura
(Hymenoptera, Chalcididae). Ann. Ent. Soc. Amer. 52:
75-81. Burks, B. D. 1960.
A revision of the genus Brachymeria
Westwood in America north of Mexico (Hymenoptera: Chalcididae). Trans. Amer. Ent. Soc. 86: 225-73. Burks, B. D. 1979.
pp. 1-1198. In: Krombein et al., Catalog of Hymenoptera in America. Symphyta and Apocrita (Parasitica). Smithsonian Inst. Press., Wash., D.C. Vol. 1. Clausen, C. P. 1940.
Entomophagous Insects.
McGraw-Hill Book Co., NY. 688 p. Habu, A. 1960. A revision of the Chalcididae
(Hymenoptera) of Japan, with descriptions of sixteen new species. Bull. Natn. Inst. Agr. Sci., Tokyo (C) 11: 218-96. Masi, L.
1916. Calcididi del
Giglio. Prima serie: Toryminae, Leucospidinae,
Chalcidinae, Eurytominae partim. Ann. Mus. Civ. Stor. Nat. Genova 47: 54-122. Masi, L.
1929a. Contributo alla
conoscenza del Calcidi oriental; della sottofamiglia Chalcidinae. Boll. Lab. Ent. R. 1st Sup. Agr. Bologna 2:
155-88. Masi, L. 1929b. Contributo alla
conoscenza del species etiopiche di Brachymeria
(Gen. Chalcis Auct.). mem. Soc. Ent. Ital.
8: 114-44. Narendran, T. C.
1988. Family
Chalcididae. In: B. R.
Subba-Rao, & M. Hayat (eds.), Oriental Insects, Vol. 19. Association For The Study of Oriental.
Insects, Gainesville, FL. 329 p. Nikol'skaya, M. N.
1978/1987. Family
Chalcididae (Chalcidids). In: G. S. Medvedev (ed.) 1987, Keys to the Insects of the European
Part of the USSR. Vol. 3 Hymenoptera, Pt. 2.
Akad. Nauk., Zool. Inst., Leningrad, SSSR.
(trans. fr. Russian, Amerind. Publ. Co., Pvt. Ltd., New Delhi). 1341 p. Prinsloo, G. L. 1980.
An illustrated guide to the families of African Chalcidoidea (Insecta:
Hymenoptera). Rep. So. Africa, Dept.
Agr. & Fisheries Sci. Bull. 395.
66 p. Steffan, J. R. 1951.
les espèces francaises d'Haltichellinae (Hym., Chalcididae). Feuille Nat. 6: 17, 81-85. Steffan, J. R. 1953.
Les espèces francaises d'Haltichellinae (Hyménoptères,
Chalcididae). Cha. Nat. (n.s.) 8:
7-12, 33-6. Yoshimoto, C. M.
1984. The Insects and
Arachnids of Canada. Part 12. The
Families and Subfamilies of Canadian Chalcidoid Wasps, Hymenoptera:
Chalcidoidea. Biosystematics Res.
Inst., Ottawa, Ontario, Res. Br. Agr. Canada
Publ. 1760. 149 p. |