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Eucharitidae

Eucharitid wasps of the Afrotropical Region

(Life: Kingdom: Metazoa (animals); Phylum: Arthropoda; Class: Hexapoda; Order: Hymenoptera; Superfamily: Chalcidoidea)

Classification

Eucharitinae

Oraseminae

Distribution Worldwide, but most diverse in tropical and subtropical regions.
Biology Parasitoids of ant larvae. Eggs are laid into plant tissue. The mobile planidium larva attaches itself to an ant worker and is carried into the nest, where it transfers to a larva. The planidium then waits until the ant larva pupates and then commences feeding as an ectoparasitoid. The planidium will sometimes feed on an intermediate carrier such as a Thysanopteran if it initially is not successful in attaching to an ant worker when it hatches (Heraty, 2002).

References

Boucek, Z. 1988. Australasian Chalcidoidea (Hymenoptera). A biosystematic revision of genera of fourteen families, with a reclassification of species. pp. 832pp. CAB International, Wallingford, Oxon, U.K., Cambrian News Ltd; Aberystwyth, Wales.

Burks R, Mitroiu M-D, Fusu L, Heraty JM, Janšta P, Heydon S, Papilloud ND-S, Peters RS, Tselikh EV, Woolley JB, van Noort S, Baur H, Cruaud A, Darling C, Haas M, Hanson P, Krogmann L, Rasplus J-Y. 2022. From hell’s heart I stab at thee! A determined approach to rendering Pteromalidae (Hymenoptera) monophyletic. Journal of Hymenoptera Research 94:13-88. https://doi.org/10.3897/jhr.94.94263

Cruaud A, Rasplus J-Y, Zhang J, Burks R, Delvare G, Fusu L, Gibson GAP, Gumovsky A, Hanson P, Huber JT, Janšta P, Mitroiu M-D, Noyes JS, van Noort S, Baker A, Böhmová J, Baur H, Blaimer BB, Brady SG, Bubeníková K, Chartois M, Copeland RS, Dale-Skey Papilloud N, Dal Molin A, Darling C, Dominguez C, Fisher N, Gates MW, Gebiola M, Guerrieri E, Haas M, Hansson C, Heydon S, Kresslein RL, Krogmann L, Moriarty Lemmon E, Mottern J, Murray E, Nidelet S, Nieves Aldrey JL, Perry R, Peters RS, Pinto JD, Polaszek A, Sauné L, Schmidt S, Torréns J, Triapitsyn S, Tselikh EV, Ubaidillah R, Yoder M, Lemmon A, Woolley JB, Heraty JM. 2024. The Chalcidoidea bush of life – Evolutionary history of a massive radiation of minute wasps. Cladistics 40: 34-63. http://doi.org/10.1111/cla.12561

Gibson G.A.P. 1993. Superfamilies Mymarommatoidea and Chalcidoidea (pp. 570-655). In GOULET, H. & HUBER, J. (eds). Hymenoptera of the World: an identification guide to families. Research Branch, Agriculture Canada, Ottawa, Canada, 668 pp.

Gibson, G.A.P., Huber, J.T., Woolley, J.B. (Editors) 1997. Annotated keys to the genera of Nearctic Chalcidoidea (Hymenoptera) :794pp National Research Council Research Press, Ottawa, Canada.

Heraty, J.M. 1994. Classification and evolution of the Oraseminae in the Old World, including revision of two closely related genera of Eucharitinae (Hymenoptera: Eucharitidae). Life Sciences Contributions, Royal Ontario Museum 157: vii+174pp. 

Heraty, J.M. 2002. A revision of the genera of Eucharitidae (Hymenoptera: Chalcidoidea) of the World. Memoirs of the American Entomological Society 68: 1-359.

Heraty, J.M. 2017. Catalog of World Eucharitidae, 2017. Electronic publication: https://hymenoptera.ucr.edu/EucharitidaeCatalog2017.pdf

Heraty JM, Mbanyana, N & van Noort S. 2020.  A new species of Eucharissa (Eucharitidae) from South Africa, with an evaluation of the importance of pupae for assessing relationships in these ant parasitoids. Journal of Hymenoptera Research 79: 43–55. https://doi.org/10.3897/jhr.79.56042

Masi, L. 1917. Chalcididae of the Seychelles Islands. Novitates Zoologica 24: 121-230.

Murray, E.A. & Heraty, J.M. 2016. Invading Africa: a novel transoceanic dispersal by a New World ant parasitoid. Journal of Biogeography 43: 1750–1761. doi:10.1111/jbi.12789

Risbec, J. 1952. Contribution l'Ètude des Chalcidoides de Madagascar. Mem. Inst. Sci. Madagascar (E) 2: 1-449.

Risbec, J. 1958. Chalcidoïdes nouveaux d'Afrique du Sud. Occasional Papers of the National Museum of Southern Rhodesia No 22(B):147-162.

Westwood, J.O. 1868. Descriptions of new genera and species of Chalcididae. Proceedings of the Entomological Society of London 1868:xxxvii

Credits

Photographs © Simon van Noort (Iziko Museums of South Africa).


Web author Simon van Noort (Iziko South African Museum)

 

Citation: van Noort, S. 2024. WaspWeb: Hymenoptera of the World. URL: www.waspweb.org (accessed on <day/month/year>).

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