| Platygastridae | |
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| Platygaster pupae inside gall | |
Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Insecta |
| Order: | Hymenoptera |
| Superfamily: | Platygastroidea |
| Family: | Platygastridae Haliday, 1833 |
| Subfamilies | |
Thehymenopteran familyPlatygastridae (sometimes incorrectly spelledPlatygasteridae) is a moderate-sized group (about 2000 described species) of exclusivelyparasitoid wasps, mostly very small (1–2 mm), black, and shining, with geniculate (elbowed)antennae that usually have an eight-segmentedflagellum. The wings often lack visible venation, and they may have slight fringes ofsetae.[1][2]
The traditional subfamilies are thePlatygastrinae and theSceliotrachelinae. The former subfamily includes some 40 genera, all of which arekoinobionts oncecidomyiid flies; the wasp oviposits in the host's egg or early instar larva, and the wasp larva completes development when the host reaches the prepupal or pupal stage. The latter subfamily is much smaller, including some 20 genera, and they typically have the rudiments of a vein in the forewings. They are generallyidiobionts, attacking the eggs of eitherbeetles orHemiptera.
Platygastridae is one of seven extant families in the superfamilyPlatygastroidea. For a brief period of time, Scelionidae was considered a subfamily of Platygastridae, but the classification has been revised based on molecular and morphological evidence.[2]
Sceliotrachelinae includes the genusAphanomerus, which includes a number of species:[3][4]
Aphanomerus pusillus, a wasp native toQueensland, Australia, has proven effective against the "pandanus planthopper", orJamella australiae, which has decimated populations ofPandanus tectorius along the coasts of northernNew South Wales and Queensland.[5][6]
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