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| Chrysidoidea | |
|---|---|
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| Chrysis viridula | |
Scientific classification | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Insecta |
| Order: | Hymenoptera |
| Suborder: | Apocrita |
| Infraorder: | Aculeata |
| Superfamily: | Chrysidoidea Latreille, 1802 |
| Families | |
The superfamilyChrysidoidea is a very large cosmopolitan group, all of which areparasitoids orcleptoparasites of other insects. There are three large, common families (Bethylidae,Chrysididae, andDryinidae) and four small, rare families (Embolemidae,Plumariidae,Sclerogibbidae, andScolebythidae). Most species are small (7 mm or less), almost never exceeding 15 mm. This superfamily is traditionally considered to be the basal taxon within theAculeata, and, as such, some species can sting, though thevenom is harmless to humans.
Members of the familiesDryinidae andEmbolemidae are the onlyparasitoids among theHymenoptera to have a life cycle in which the wasp larva begins its life inside the body of the host, and then later forms a sac (called athylacium) that protrudes out of the host'sabdomen. The closely related familySclerogibbidae contains more traditionalectoparasitoids, attacking thenymphs ofwebspinners.
The extinct, monotypic familyPlumalexiidae was described in 2011 from fossils preserved inTuronian age New Jersey amber.[1]
