| Eucharitidae Temporal range:
| |
|---|---|
| |
| Pseudochalcura nigrocyanea | |
Scientific classification 
| |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Insecta |
| Order: | Hymenoptera |
| Superfamily: | Chalcidoidea |
| Family: | Eucharitidae Latreille, 1809 |
| Subfamilies | |
| Diversity | |
| 4 subfamilies 42 genera 400 species | |
The Eucharitidae are a family of parasitic wasps.[1] Eucharitid wasps are members of the superfamily Chalcidoidea and consist of four subfamilies: Akapalinae, Eucharitinae, Gollumiellinae, and Oraseminae.[2] Most of the 42 genera and >400 species of Eucharitidae are members of the subfamilies Oraseminae and Eucharitinae, and are found in tropical regions of the world.[3]
Eucharitids are specialized parasitoids of ants, meaning each species is usually only parasitic of one genus of ant.[3] Furthermore, they are one of the few parasitoids that have been able to use ants as hosts, despite ants’ effective defense systems against most parasitoids.[4][5][6] Eucharitid parasitism occurs year-round, with a majority of it occurring during hot and humid months. However, the amount of parasitism that occurs depends primarily on the size of the ant colony and the number of host pupae in them, and not on the season.[4]
- ^ Ayre, G. L. (1962). "Pseudometagea schwarzii (Ashm.) (Eucharitidae: Hymenoptera), a parasite of Lasius neoniger Emery (Formicidae: Hymenoptera)" (PDF). Canadian Journal of Zoology. 40: 157–164. doi:10.1139/z62-020.
- ^ Universal Chalcidoidea Database: Eucharitidae
- ^ a b Heraty, John. Eucharitidae. Hymenopteran Systematics, University of California, Riverside (2002): Web. 16 Sep. 2011.
- ^ a b Lachaud, Jean-Paul and Perez-Lachaud, Gavriela. Impact of natural parasitism by two eucharitid wasps on a potential biocontrol agent ant in southeastern Mexico. Biological Control 48 (2009): 92-99.
- ^ Heraty, J.M. Biology and importance of two eucharitid parasites of Wasmannia and Solenopsis. (1994): Pages 104-120 in Williams, D. (ed), Exotic Ants: Biology, Impact and Control of Introduced Species. Boulder, CO: Westview Press. 332 pp.
- ^ Brues, C. T. (1 March 1919). "A New Chalcid-Fly Parasitic on the Australian Bull-Dog Ant". Annals of the Entomological Society of America. 12 (1): 13–21. doi:10.1093/aesa/12.1.13.