| Scelioninae | |
|---|---|
_(cropped).jpg) | |
| Telenomus sp. | |
Scientific classification | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Insecta |
| Order: | Hymenoptera |
| Family: | Scelionidae |
| Subfamily: | Scelioninae Haliday, 1839 |
Scelioninae is a subfamily ofwasps in the familyScelionidae. It is a very large cosmopolitan group (over 3000 described species in some 160 genera) of exclusivelyparasitoid wasps, mostly small (0.5–10 mm), often black, often highly sculptured, usually withgeniculate (elbowed) antennae that have a 9- or 10-segmentedflagellum. It was formerly classified as a subfamily of thePlatygastridae,[1][2] but in 2021 the familyScelionidae was revived, containing the subfamilies Scelioninae,Teleasinae, andTelenominae.[3]
They are generallyidiobionts, attacking the eggs of many different types ofinsects,spiders,butterflies (thehackberry emperor, for example)[4] and many are important inbiological control. Several genera are wingless, and a few attackaquatic insect eggs underwater.
