TheCynipoidea are a moderate-sizedhymenopteran superfamily that presently includes seven extant families and three extinct families, though others have been recognized in the past. The most familiar members of the group arephytophagous, especially asgall-formers, though the actual majority of included species areparasitoids orhyperparasitoids. They are typically glossy, dark, smooth wasps with somewhat compressed bodies and somewhat reduced wing venation. It is common for variousmetasomal segments to be fused in various ways (often diagnostic for families or subfamilies), and thepetiole is very short, when present.
With the exception of theCynipidae (the gall wasps), it is a poorly known group as a whole, though there are nearly 3000 known species in total, and a great many species are still undescribed, mostly in theFigitidae.[1] Each of the constituent families differs in biology, though life histories of one of the families (Liopteridae) are still largely unknown. In July 2020, an identification key for the superfamily was published in the journalInsect Systematics and Diversity, enabling identification to the family level.[2] Several groups formerly included in Cynipidae were elevated to family status in 2023.[3]
^Matthew L Buffington; Mattias Forshage; Johan Liljeblad; Chang-Ti Tang; Simon van Noort (1 July 2020). "World Cynipoidea (Hymenoptera): A Key to Higher-Level Groups".Insect Systematics and Diversity.4 (4).doi:10.1093/ISD/IXAA003.ISSN2399-3421.WikidataQ119582746.
