Apocrita is a

suborder Order () is one of the eight major hierarchical taxonomic ranks in Linnaean taxonomy. It is classified between family and class. In biological classification, the order is a taxonomic rank used in the classification of organisms and recognized ...

insect Insects (from Latin ') are Hexapoda, hexapod invertebrates of the class (biology), class Insecta. They are the largest group within the arthropod phylum. Insects have a chitinous exoskeleton, a three-part body (Insect morphology#Head, head, ...

s in the order

Hymenoptera Hymenoptera is a large order of insects, comprising the sawflies, wasps, bees, and ants. Over 150,000 living species of Hymenoptera have been described, in addition to over 2,000 extinct ones. Many of the species are parasitic. Females typi ...

. It includes

wasp A wasp is any insect of the narrow-waisted suborder Apocrita of the order Hymenoptera which is neither a bee nor an ant; this excludes the broad-waisted sawflies (Symphyta), which look somewhat like wasps, but are in a separate suborder ...

bee Bees are winged insects closely related to wasps and ants, known for their roles in pollination and, in the case of the best-known bee species, the western honey bee, for producing honey. Bees are a monophyletic lineage within the superfamil ...

s, and

ant Ants are Eusociality, eusocial insects of the Family (biology), family Formicidae and, along with the related wasps and bees, belong to the Taxonomy (biology), order Hymenoptera. Ants evolved from Vespoidea, vespoid wasp ancestors in the Cre ...

s, and consists of many families. It contains the most advanced hymenopterans and is distinguished from

Symphyta Sawflies are wasp-like insects that are in the suborder Symphyta within the order Hymenoptera, alongside ants, bees, and wasps. The common name comes from the saw-like appearance of the ovipositor, which the females use to cut into the plants ...

by the narrow "waist" (

petiole Petiole may refer to: *Petiole (botany), the stalk of a leaf, attaching the blade to the stem *Petiole (insect anatomy) In entomology, petiole is the technical term for the narrow waist of some hymenopteran insects, especially ants, bees, and ...

) formed between the first two segments of the actual

abdomen The abdomen (colloquially called the gut, belly, tummy, midriff, tucky, or stomach) is the front part of the torso between the thorax (chest) and pelvis in humans and in other vertebrates. The area occupied by the abdomen is called the abdominal ...

; the first abdominal segment is fused to the thorax, and is called the

propodeum Propodeum labelled within the alitrunk of an ant worker The propodeum is a term that can refer to unrelated structures in insects or in mollusks. Insects The first abdominal segment in Apocrita Hymenoptera (wasps, bees and ants) is known a ...

. Therefore, it is general practice, when discussing the body of an apocritan in a technical sense, to refer to the

mesosoma The mesosoma is the middle part of the body, or tagma, of arthropods whose body is composed of three parts, the other two being the prosoma and the metasoma. It bears the legs, and, in the case of winged insects, the wings. Wasps, bees and a ...

and

metasoma The metasoma is the posterior part of the body, or tagma (biology), tagma, of arthropods whose body is composed of three parts, the other two being the prosoma and the mesosoma. In insects, it contains most of the digestive tract, respiratory sy ...

(or gaster) rather than the "thorax" and "abdomen", respectively. The evolution of a constricted waist was an important adaption for the

parasitoid In evolutionary ecology, a parasitoid is an organism that lives in close association with its host (biology), host at the host's expense, eventually resulting in the death of the host. Parasitoidism is one of six major evolutionarily stable str ...

lifestyle of the ancestral apocritan, allowing more maneuverability of the female's

ovipositor The ovipositor is a tube-like organ used by some animals, especially insects, for the laying of eggs. In insects, an ovipositor consists of a maximum of three pairs of appendages. The details and morphology of the ovipositor vary, but typica ...

. The

either extends freely or is retracted, and may be developed into a stinger for both defense and paralyzing prey. Larvae are legless and blind, and either feed inside a host (plant or animal) or in a nest cell provisioned by their mothers. Apocrita has historically been split into two groups,

Parasitica Parasitica (the parasitican wasps) is an obsolete, paraphyletic infraorder of Apocrita containing the parasitoid wasps. It includes all Apocrita except for the Aculeata. Parasitica has more members as a group than both the Symphyta and the Aculea ...

and

Aculeata Aculeata is an infraorder of Hymenoptera containing ants, bees, and stinging wasps. The name is a reference to the defining feature of the group, which is the modification of the ovipositor into a stinger. However, many members of the group cann ...

. Aculeata is a

clade In biology, a clade (), also known as a Monophyly, monophyletic group or natural group, is a group of organisms that is composed of a common ancestor and all of its descendants. Clades are the fundamental unit of cladistics, a modern approach t ...

whose name is in standard use. "Parasitica" is not a clade, as it is

paraphyletic Paraphyly is a taxonomic term describing a grouping that consists of the grouping's last common ancestor and some but not all of its descendant lineages. The grouping is said to be paraphyletic ''with respect to'' the excluded subgroups. In co ...

: the clade would contain the Aculeata. "Parasitica" is therefore a rankless grouping in many present classifications, if it appears at all. Parasitica comprises the majority of hymenopteran insects, its members living as

parasitoids In evolutionary ecology, a parasitoid is an organism that lives in close association with its host (biology), host at the host's expense, eventually resulting in the death of the host. Parasitoidism is one of six major evolutionarily stable str ...

. Most species are small, with the ovipositor adapted for piercing. In some hosts, the parasitoids induce

metamorphosis Metamorphosis is a biological process by which an animal physically develops including birth transformation or hatching, involving a conspicuous and relatively abrupt change in the animal's body structure through cell growth and different ...

prematurely, and in others it is prolonged. There are even species that are

hyperparasite A hyperparasite, also known as a metaparasite, is a parasite whose host, often an insect, is also a parasite, often specifically a parasitoid. Hyperparasites are found mainly among the wasp-waisted Apocrita within the Hymenoptera, and in two ot ...

s, or parasitoids on other parasitoids. The Parasitica lay their

egg An egg is an organic vessel grown by an animal to carry a possibly fertilized egg cell (a zygote) and to incubate from it an embryo within the egg until the embryo has become an animal fetus that can survive on its own, at which point the ...

s inside or on another insect (egg, larva or pupa) and their larvae grow and develop within or on that host. The host is nearly always killed. Many parasitic hymenopterans are used as

biological control Biological control or biocontrol is a method of controlling pests, whether pest animals such as insects and mites, weeds, or pathogens affecting animals or plants by using other organisms. It relies on predation, parasitism, herbivory, or o ...

agents to control pests, such as

caterpillar Caterpillars ( ) are the larval stage of members of the order Lepidoptera (the insect order comprising butterflies and moths). As with most common names, the application of the word is arbitrary, since the larvae of sawflies (suborder ...

s, true bugs and hoppers,

flies Flies are insects of the Order (biology), order Diptera, the name being derived from the Ancient Greek, Greek δι- ''di-'' "two", and πτερόν ''pteron'' "wing". Insects of this order use only a single pair of wings to fly, the hindwin ...

, and

weevil Weevils are beetles belonging to the superfamily Curculionoidea, known for their elongated snouts. They are usually small – less than in length – and herbivorous. Approximately 97,000 species of weevils are known. They belong to several fa ...

s. Aculeata is a

monophyletic In biological cladistics for the classification of organisms, monophyly is the condition of a taxonomic grouping being a clade – that is, a grouping of organisms which meets these criteria: # the grouping contains its own most recent co ...

group that includes those species in which the female's

is modified into a

stinger A stinger (or sting) is a sharp organ found in various animals (typically insects and other arthropods) capable of injecting venom, usually by piercing the epidermis of another animal. An insect sting is complicated by its introduction of ve ...

to inject

venom Venom or zootoxin is a type of toxin produced by an animal that is actively delivered through a wound by means of a bite, sting, or similar action. The toxin is delivered through a specially evolved ''venom apparatus'', such as fangs or a sti ...

. Groups within Aculeata include the familiar ants, bees, and various types of parasitic and predatory wasps; it also includes all of the

social Social organisms, including human(s), live collectively in interacting populations. This interaction is considered social whether they are aware of it or not, and whether the exchange is voluntary or not. Etymology The word "social" derives fro ...

hymenopterans. Among the nonparasitic and nonsocial Aculeata, larvae are fed with captured prey (typically alive and paralyzed) or may be fed pollen and nectar. The

Aculeata feed their young prey (

paper wasp Paper wasps are a type of Eusociality, social vespid wasps. The term is typically used to refer to members of the Vespidae, vespid subfamily Polistinae, though it often colloquially includes members of the subfamilies Vespinae (hornets and yel ...

s and

hornet Hornets (insects in the genus ''Vespa'') are the largest of the Eusociality, eusocial wasps, and are similar in appearance to yellowjackets, their close relatives. Some species can reach up to in length. They are distinguished from other Vespi ...

s), or

pollen Pollen is a powdery substance produced by most types of flowers of seed plants for the purpose of sexual reproduction. It consists of pollen grains (highly reduced Gametophyte#Heterospory, microgametophytes), which produce male gametes (sperm ...

and

nectar Nectar is a viscous, sugar-rich liquid produced by Plant, plants in glands called nectaries, either within the flowers with which it attracts pollination, pollinating animals, or by extrafloral nectaries, which provide a nutrient source to an ...

(bees), or perhaps seeds,

fungi A fungus (: fungi , , , or ; or funguses) is any member of the group of eukaryotic organisms that includes microorganisms such as yeasts and mold (fungus), molds, as well as the more familiar mushrooms. These organisms are classified as one ...

, or nonviable eggs (ants).

Extant families and superfamilies

The Apocrita contains a large number of families. Some traditional taxa such as the

(containing many families of

parasitoid wasp Parasitoid wasps are a large group of hymenopteran Superfamily (zoology), superfamilies, with all but the wood wasps (Orussoidea) being in the wasp-waisted Apocrita. As parasitoids, they lay their eggs on or in the bodies of other arthropods, ...

s) have been found on molecular analysis to be

Parasitoid In evolutionary ecology, a parasitoid is an organism that lives in close association with its host (biology), host at the host's expense, eventually resulting in the death of the host. Parasitoidism is one of six major evolutionarily stable str ...

ism evolved once, and it is found today across most Apocritan families, though it has been secondarily lost several times. The

phylogenetic tree A phylogenetic tree or phylogeny is a graphical representation which shows the evolutionary history between a set of species or taxa during a specific time.Felsenstein J. (2004). ''Inferring Phylogenies'' Sinauer Associates: Sunderland, MA. In ...

gives a condensed overview of the phylogeny, illustrated with major groups. The sawflies are paraphyletic as the Apocrita evolved inside that group. The tree is not fully resolved. Cladogram of Apocrita after Peters et al.(2017) *Suborder Apocrita **Infraorder

***Superfamily

Apoidea The superfamily Apoidea is a major group (of over 30 000 species) within the Hymenoptera, which includes two traditionally recognized lineages, the "sphecoid" wasps, and the bees. Molecular phylogeny demonstrates that the bees arose from ...

(

s and sphecoid wasps) ****Family

Ammoplanidae Ammoplanidae is a family of aphid wasps formerly treated as the Crabronidae subtribe Ammoplanina. There are about 10 genera and at least 130 described species in Ammoplanina. Phylogenetic analyses in 2018 and 2021 have confirmed this group as the ...

****Family

Ampulicidae Ampulicidae, or cockroach wasps, are a small (about 170 species), primarily tropical family of sphecoid wasps, all of which use various cockroaches as prey for their larvae. They are the most primitive family of sphecoid hunting wasps. They tend ...

( cockroach wasps) ****Family

Astatidae Astatidae is a cosmopolitan family of solitary wasps, peculiar for their males having very large compound eyes that broadly meet at the top of the head. The largest genus in this family is ''Astata'', with about half of more than 160 species in ...

****Family

Bembicidae The Bembicidae comprise a large family of apoid wasps that includes over 80 genera and over 1800 species which have a worldwide distribution. They excavate nests in the soil, frequently in sandy soils, and store insects of several orders, for e ...

(sand wasps) ****Family

Crabronidae The Crabronidae is a large family of wasps within the superfamily Apoidea. Taxonomy and phylogeny This family has historically been treated as a subfamily in the now-defunct Spheciformes group under the family Sphecidae. The Spheciformes inclu ...

****Family

Mellinidae Mellinidae is a small family of wasps, comprising 17 described species in two genera. These wasps are found in the Nearctic, Neotropical, Indomalayan and Palaearctic realms. This group has traditionally been treated as a subfamily within Crabroni ...

****Family

Pemphredonidae Pemphredonidae is a family of aphid wasps formerly treated as the subfamily Pemphredoninae. There are 19 genera and 556 described species in the family. Description and identification The primary morphological distinction between the Pemphredond ...

****Family

Philanthidae Philanthidae is one of the largest families of wasp in the superfamily Apoidea, with 1167 species in 8 genera. Most of the species (more than 870) are in the genus '' Cerceris''. Taxonomy and phylogeny Historically, this group has frequently ...

(bee wolves) ****Family

Psenidae Psenidae is a family of aphid wasps in the superfamily Apoidea formerly treated as the tribe Psenini. There are 12 genera and at least 485 described species of Psenidae. Taxonomy and phylogeny As Psenini, this taxon was previously treated as on ...

****Family

Sphecidae The Sphecidae are a Cosmopolitan distribution, cosmopolitan family of wasps of the suborder Apocrita that includes Ammophilinae, sand wasps, mud daubers, and other thread-waisted wasps. The name Sphecidae was formerly given to a much larger g ...

( digger wasps) ****Family †

Angarosphecidae Angarosphecidae is an extinct family of Mesozoic and early Cenozoic wasps in the superfamily Apoidea. Taxonomy * '' Angarosphex'' (synonyms ''Calobaissodes'' , ''Mataeosphex'' , ''Palaeapis'' , ''Shandongodes'' **''An. alethes'' - Cenomania ...

****Family † Paleomelittidae ****Family †

Temnogynidae Temnogynidae is an extinct family of apoid wasps, found only in Burmese amber Burmese amber, also known as Burmite or Kachin amber, is amber from the Hukawng Valley in northern Myanmar. The amber is dated to around 100 million years ago, dur ...

****Clade

Anthophila ''Anthophila'', from Ancient Greek ἄνθος (''ánthos''), meaning "flower", and φίλος (''phílos''), meaning "loving", is a genus of moths in the family Choreutidae. Species *''Anthophila abhasica'' Danilevsky, 1969 *''Anthophila alp ...

*****Family

Andrenidae The Andrenidae (commonly known as mining bees) are a large, nearly cosmopolitan distribution, cosmopolitan family of solitary, ground-nesting bees. Most of the family's diversity is located in temperate or arid areas (warm temperate xeric). It i ...

(mining bees) *****Family

Apidae Apidae is the largest family within the superfamily Apoidea, containing at least 5700 species of bees. The family includes some of the most commonly seen bees, including bumblebees and honey bees, but also includes stingless bees (also used for ...

(

carpenter bee Carpenter bees are species in the genus ''Xylocopa'' of the subfamily Xylocopinae. The genus includes some 500 bees in 31 subgenera. The common name "carpenter bee" derives from their nesting behavior; nearly all species burrow into hard plant m ...

s, digger bees,

cuckoo bee The term cuckoo bee is used for a variety of different bee lineages which have evolved the kleptoparasitic behaviour of laying their eggs in the nests of other bees, reminiscent of the behavior of cuckoo birds. The name is perhaps best applied t ...

bumble bee A bumblebee (or bumble bee, bumble-bee, or humble-bee) is any of over 250 species in the genus ''Bombus'', part of Apidae, one of the bee families. This genus is the only extant group in the tribe Bombini, though a few extinct related genera ...

orchid bee The tribe Euglossini, in the subfamily Apinae, commonly known as orchid bees or euglossine bees, are the only group of corbiculate bees whose non-parasitic members do not all possess eusocial behavior. Description, distribution, and behavior ...

stingless bee Stingless bees (SB), sometimes called stingless honey bees or simply meliponines, are a large group of bees (from about 462 to 552 described species), comprising the Tribe (biology), tribe Meliponini (or subtribe Meliponina according to other aut ...

s, and

honeybee A honey bee (also spelled honeybee) is a eusocial flying insect within the genus ''Apis'' of the bee clade, all native to mainland Afro-Eurasia. After bees spread naturally throughout Africa and Eurasia, humans became responsible for the c ...

s) *****Family

Colletidae The Colletidae are a family (biology), family of bees, and are often referred to collectively as plasterer bees or polyester bees, due to the method of smoothing the walls of their nest cells with secretions applied with their mouthparts; these s ...

( yellow-faced bees and

plasterer bee The Colletidae are a family (biology), family of bees, and are often referred to collectively as plasterer bees or polyester bees, due to the method of smoothing the walls of their nest cells with secretions applied with their mouthparts; these s ...

s) *****Family

Halictidae Halictidae is the second-largest family of bees (clade Anthophila) with nearly 4,500 species. They are commonly called sweat bees (especially the smaller species), as they are often attracted to perspiration. Halictid species are an extremely div ...

("sweat bees") *****Family

Megachilidae Megachilidae is a cosmopolitan family of mostly solitary bees. Characteristic traits of this family are the restriction of their pollen-carrying structure (called a '' scopa'') to the ventral surface of the abdomen (rather than mostly or exclu ...

( leaf-cutting bees) *****Family

Melittidae Melittidae is a small bee family, with over 200 described species in three subfamilies. The family has a limited distribution, with all described species restricted to Africa and the northern temperate zone. Fossil melittids have been found oc ...

*****Family

Stenotritidae The Stenotritidae is the smallest of all formally recognised bee families, with only 21 species in two genera, all of them restricted to Australia. Historically, they were generally considered to belong in the family Colletidae, but the stenotrit ...

***Superfamily

Chrysidoidea The superfamily Chrysidoidea is a very large cosmopolitan group, all of which are parasitoids or cleptoparasites of other insects. There are three large, common families (Bethylidae, Chrysididae, and Dryinidae) and four small, rare families (Em ...

****Family Bethylidae ****Family Chrysididae (

cuckoo wasp Commonly known as cuckoo wasps or emerald wasps, the hymenopteran family Chrysididae is a very large cosmopolitan group (over 3000 described species) of parasitoid or kleptoparasitic wasps, often highly sculptured, with brilliant metallic color ...

s) ****Family

Dryinidae Dryinidae is a cosmopolitan family of solitary wasps. Its name comes from the Greek ''drys'' for oak: Latreille named the type genus '' Dryinus'' because the first species was collected on an oak tree in Spain. The larvae are parasitoids of the ...

****Family

Embolemidae Embolemidae is a family of small solitary parasitoid wasps with around 70 species in 2 genera distributed around the world.van Achterberg, Cornelis & Kats, R.. (2000). Revision of the Palaearctic Embolemidae (Hymenoptera). Zoöl. Med. 74 (2000), ...

****Family Plumariidae ****Family

Sclerogibbidae The Sclerogibbidae are a small family of Aculeata, aculeate wasps in the superfamily (biology), superfamily Chrysidoidea. Overview Sclerogibbidae are ectoparasitoids of Embioptera. The female wasp oviposits an egg on the abdomen of a host. Once ...

****Family Scolebythidae ***Superfamily

Formicoidea Ants are eusocial insects of the family Formicidae and, along with the related wasps and bees, belong to the order Hymenoptera. Ants evolved from vespoid wasp ancestors in the Cretaceous period. More than 13,800 of an estimated total of 22 ...

****Family Formicidae (

s) ***Superfamily Pompiloidea ****Family

Mutillidae Velvet ants (Mutillidae) are a family of more than 7,000 species of wasps whose wingless females resemble large, hairy ants. Their common name velvet ant refers to their resemblance to an ant, and their dense pile of hair, which most often is br ...

(

velvet ant Velvet ants (Mutillidae) are a family (biology), family of more than 7,000 species of wasps whose wingless females resemble large, hairy ants. Their common name velvet ant refers to their resemblance to an ant, and their dense pile of hair, whic ...

s) ****Family Myrmosidae ****Family

Pompilidae Wasps in the family Pompilidae are commonly called spider wasps, spider-hunting wasps, or pompilid wasps. The family is cosmopolitan, with some 5,000 species in six subfamilies. Nearly all species are solitary (with the exception of some group-ne ...

(

spider wasp Wasps in the family Pompilidae are commonly called spider wasps, spider-hunting wasps, or pompilid wasps. The family is cosmopolitan, with some 5,000 species in six subfamilies. Nearly all species are solitary (with the exception of some group-ne ...

s) ****Family

Sapygidae The Sapygidae are a family of solitary kleptoparasitic aculeate wasps. They are generally black wasps, similar in appearance to some Tiphiidae or Thynnidae, with white or yellow markings developed to various degrees. The female oviposits her eg ...

***Superfamily Scolioidea ****Family

Scoliidae The Scoliidae, the scoliid wasps, are a family of wasps comprising about 560 species worldwide. They tend to be black, often marked with yellow or orange, and their wing tips are distinctively corrugated. Males are more slender and elongated than ...

***Superfamily

Tiphioidea Tiphioidea is a suggested superfamily of stinging wasps in the order Hymenoptera. There are three families in Tiphioidea, Bradynobaenidae, Tiphiidae, and Sierolomorphidae. Recent research in molecular phylogenetics has resulted in the reorgan ...

****Family

Bradynobaenidae The Bradynobaenidae are a family of wasps similar to the Mutillidae, differing most visibly in the presence, in females, of a suture separating the pronotum from the mesonotum. These species are often found in arid regions. Taxonomy Recent ...

****Family

Sierolomorphidae The Sierolomorphidae are a family of 13 extant species of wasps, in the genera '' Sierolomorpha'' and '' Proscleroderma'', mostly found in the Northern Hemisphere. They are rare and very little is known of their biology. A fossil species '' Lorei ...

****Family

Tiphiidae The Tiphiidae (also known as tiphiid wasps, flower wasps, or tiphiid flower wasps) are a family (biology), family of large, solitary wasps whose larvae are parasitoids of various beetle larvae, especially those in the superfamily Scarabaeoidea. Un ...

***Superfamily Thynoidea ****Family

Chyphotidae The Chyphotidae are a family of wasps with wingless females similar to the Mutillidae, differing most visibly in the presence, in females, of a suture separating the pronotum from the mesonotum. These species are found primarily in arid regions ...

****Family

Thynnidae The Thynnidae (also known as thynnid wasps, flower wasps, or thynnid flower wasps) are a family of large, solitary wasps whose larvae are almost universally parasitoids of various beetle larvae, especially those in the superfamily Scarabaeoidea. ...

***Superfamily

Vespoidea Vespoidea is a superfamily of wasps in the order Hymenoptera. Vespoidea includes wasps with a large variety of lifestyles including eusocial, social, and solitary habits, predators, scavengers, parasitoids, and some herbivores. Descriptio ...

****Family

Rhopalosomatidae Rhopalosomatidae is a family of Hymenoptera containing about 68 extant species in four genera that are found worldwide. Three fossil genera are known. The adults resemble ants and may be confused with them. They are yellowish with red or brown m ...

****Family

Vespidae The Vespidae are a large (nearly 5000 species), diverse, cosmopolitan family of wasps, including nearly all the known eusocial wasps (such as '' Polistes fuscatus'', '' Vespa orientalis'', and ''Vespula germanica'') and many solitary wasps. Eac ...

(

potter wasp Potter wasps (or mason wasps), the Eumeninae, are a Cosmopolitan distribution, cosmopolitan wasp group currently considered a subfamily of Vespidae, but sometimes recognized in the past as a separate family, Eumenidae. Mud dauber wasps, which al ...

s, pollen wasps,

yellowjacket Yellowjacket or yellowjacket is the common name in North America for predatory social wasps of the genus, genera ''Vespula'' and ''Dolichovespula''. Members of these genera are known simply as "wasps" in other English-speaking countries. Most of ...

s) **

Proctotrupomorpha Proctotrupomorpha is a major subgrouping of the Apocrita within the Hymenoptera, containing mainly small parasitic wasps. It contains the major groupings of Chalcidoidea, Diaprioidea, Proctotrupoidea, Cynipoidea The Cynipoidea are a moderate ...

***Superfamily

Chalcidoidea Chalcid wasps (, , for their metallic colour) are insects within the superfamily Chalcidoidea, part of the order Hymenoptera. The superfamily contains some 22,500 known species, and an estimated total diversity of more than 500,000 species, m ...

****Family

Agaonidae The family Agaonidae is a group of pollinating fig wasps. They spend their larval stage inside the fruits of Ficus, figs. The pollinating wasps (Agaoninae, Kradibiinae, and Tetrapusiinae) are the mutualism (biology), mutualistic partners of the ...

(

fig wasp Fig wasps are wasps of the superfamily Chalcidoidea which spend their larval stage inside fig syconia. Some are pollinators but others simply feed off the plant. The non-pollinators belong to several groups within the superfamily Chalcidoidea, ...

s) ****Family

Aphelinidae The Aphelinidae are a moderate-sized family of tiny parasitic wasps, with about 1100 described species in some 28 genera. These minute insects are challenging to study, as they deteriorate rapidly after death unless extreme care is taken (e.g., ...

****Family

Chalcididae The Chalcididae are a moderate-sized family within the Chalcidoidea, composed mostly of parasitoids and a few hyperparasitoids. The family is apparently polyphyletic, though the different subfamilies may each be monophyletic, and some may be e ...

(

chalcid wasp Chalcid wasps (, , for their metallic colour) are insects within the superfamily Chalcidoidea, part of the order Hymenoptera. The superfamily contains some 22,500 known species, and an estimated total diversity of more than 500,000 species, m ...

s) ****Family

Encyrtidae Encyrtidae is a large family of parasitic wasps, with some 3710 described species in about 455 genera. The larvae of the majority are primary parasitoids on Hemiptera, though other hosts are attacked, and details of the life history can be variab ...

****Family

Eucharitidae The Eucharitidae are a family of parasitic wasps. Eucharitid wasps are members of the superfamily Chalcidoidea and consist of four subfamilies: Akapalinae, Eucharitinae, Gollumiellinae, and Oraseminae. Most of the 42 genera and >400 species o ...

****Family

Eulophidae The Eulophidae is a large family of hymenopteran insects, with over 4,300 described species in some 300 genera. The family includes the genus '' Elasmus'', which used to be treated as a separate family, "Elasmidae", and is now treated as a subfa ...

****Family

Eupelmidae Eupelmidae is a family of parasitic wasps in the superfamily Chalcidoidea. The larvae of the majority are primary parasitoids, commonly on beetle larvae, though many other hosts are attacked, including spiders. Details of the life history varies ...

****Family

Eurytomidae The Eurytomidae are a family within the superfamily Chalcidoidea. Unlike most chalcidoids, the larvae of many are phytophagous (feeding in stems, seeds, or galls), while others are more typical parasitoids, though even then the hosts are usuall ...

( seed chalcids) ****Family

Leucospidae The Leucospidae (sometimes incorrectly spelled Leucospididae) are a specialized group of wasps within the superfamily Chalcidoidea, that are ectoparasitoids of aculeata, aculeate wasps or bees. They are typically mimicry, mimics of bees or sting ...

****Family

Mymaridae The Mymaridae, commonly known as fairyflies or fairy wasps, are a family (biology), family of chalcid wasp, chalcidoid wasps found in temperate, subtropical, and tropical regions throughout the world. The family contains around 100 genera with 1, ...

( fairyflies) – the smallest of all insects ****Family

Ormyridae The Ormyridae are a small family of parasitic wasps in the superfamily Chalcidoidea. They are either parasitoids or hyperparasitoids on gall-forming insects, Asparagobiinae van Noort, Burks, Mitroiu and Rasplus, 2024 *'' Asparagobius'' Mayr, 19 ...

****Family

Perilampidae The Perilampidae are a small family (biology), family within the Chalcidoidea, composed mostly of hyperparasite, hyperparasitoids. The family is closely related to the Eucharitidae, Chrysolampidae, and Eutrichosomatidae. As presently defined, si ...

****Family

Pteromalidae The Pteromalidae are a large family of wasps, the majority being parasitoids of other insects. They are found throughout the world in virtually all habitats, and many are important as biological control agents. The oldest known fossil is known fr ...

****Family Rotoitidae ****Family Signiphoridae ****Family Tanaostigmatidae ****Family Tetracampidae ****Family

Torymidae Torymidae is a family of wasps in the superfamily Chalcidoidea. Most species in this family are small with attractive metallic coloration, and females generally have long ovipositors. Many are parasitoids on gall-forming insects, and some are phy ...

****Family Trichogrammatidae ***Superfamily

Cynipoidea The Cynipoidea are a moderate-sized hymenopteran 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 are phytophagous, espec ...

****Family

Austrocynipidae ''Austrocynips mirabilis'' is a species of parasitic wasp. It is the only species in the genus ''Austrocynips'' and the family Austrocynipidae. It was originally described as a subfamily of Cynipidae; however, it was promoted to family status i ...

****Family

Cynipidae Gall wasps, also wikt:gallfly#Usage notes, traditionally called gallflies, are hymenopterans of the family Cynipidae in the wasp superfamily Cynipoidea. Their common name comes from the galls they induce on plants for larval development. About 1 ...

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gall wasp Gall wasps, also traditionally called gallflies, are hymenopterans of the family Cynipidae in the wasp superfamily Cynipoidea. Their common name comes from the galls they induce on plants for larval development. About 1,300 species of this gene ...

s) ****Family Figitidae ****Family

Ibaliidae The Ibaliidae are a small family of the hymenopteran superfamily Cynipoidea. Ibaliidae differ from most of the cynipoids by the larvae being parasitoids on other wasp larvae in the group Siricidae. The Ibaliidae comprise three extant genera of ...

****Family

Liopteridae Liopteridae is a family of wood-boring parasitoid wasp Parasitoid wasps are a large group of hymenopteran Superfamily (zoology), superfamilies, with all but the wood wasps (Orussoidea) being in the wasp-waisted Apocrita. As parasitoids, th ...

***Superfamily

Diaprioidea Diaprioidea is a hymenopteran superfamily containing five extant families; in the past these families were included in the superfamily Proctotrupoidea. Families *Austroniidae has a single genus endemic to temperate forests of south-east Australi ...

****Family

Austroniidae ''Austronia'' is a genus of wasps endemic to Australia. It is the only genus in the family Austroniidae. Three species are currently recognized. Members of this genus are 4-6 millimeters long and are found in the wet forests of southern Australia ...

****Family

Diapriidae The Diapriidae are a family of parasitoid wasps. These tiny insects have an average length of 2–4 mm and never exceed 8 mm. They typically attack larvae and pupae of a wide range of insects, especially flies. The about 2,300 described ...

****Family

Maamingidae ''Maaminga '' is a genus of parasitic wasps containing two species and constituting the family (biology), family Maamingidae. So far only known from New Zealand, the two named species are ''Maaminga marrisi'' and ''Maaminga rangi, M. rangi''. T ...

****Family

Monomachidae Monomachidae is a family of parasitoid wasps in the order Hymenoptera comprising two genera. The species of the family are found in the Southern Hemisphere, primarily in the tropics of the New World with a few from Australia and New Guinea. D ...

***Superfamily

Mymarommatoidea The Mymarommatoidea are a very small superfamily of microscopic fairyfly-like parasitic wasps. It contains only a single living family, Mymarommatidae, and three other extinct families known from Cretaceous aged amber. Less than half of all desc ...

****Family

Mymarommatidae The Mymarommatidae, sometimes referred to as false fairy wasps, are a very small family of microscopic parasitic wasps. Only about half of the known species are living taxa (the others are fossils), but they are found worldwide.Gibson, G.A.P.; Re ...

***Superfamily

Platygastroidea The Hymenopteran superfamily of parasitoid wasps, Platygastroidea, has often been treated as a lineage within the superfamily Proctotrupoidea, but most classifications since 1977 have recognized it as an independent group within the Proctotrupomo ...

**** Family Geoscelionidae **** Family Janzenellidae **** Family Neuroscelionidae **** Family Nixoniidae **** Family

Platygastridae The hymenopteran family Platygastridae (sometimes incorrectly spelled Platygasteridae) is a moderate-sized group (about 2000 described species) of exclusively parasitoid wasps, mostly very small (1–2 mm), black, and shining, with genicul ...

**** Family † Proterosceliopsidae **** Family

Scelionidae The hymenopteran family Scelionidae is a very large cosmopolitan group (over 3000 described species in some 176 genera) of exclusively parasitoid wasps, mostly small (0.5–10 mm), often black, often highly sculptured, with (typically) elbow ...

**** Family Sparasionidae ***Superfamily

Proctotrupoidea Proctotrupoidea is a hymenopteran superfamily containing seven extant families, though others have been recognized in the past, most of these having been removed to a recently erected superfamily Diaprioidea. Of the remaining families, only Proct ...

****Family

Heloridae Heloridae is a family of parasitic wasps in the superfamily Proctotrupoidea, known primarily from fossils, and only one extant genus, '' Helorus'', with 12 species found worldwide. Members of ''Helorus'' are parasitic on green lacewings. Extant ...

****Family

Pelecinidae Pelecinidae is a family of parasitic wasps in the superfamily Proctotrupoidea. It contains only one living genus, '' Pelecinus'', with three species known from the Americas. The earliest fossil species are known from the Jurassic, and the group ...

****Family Peradeniidae ****Family Proctorenyxidae ****Family

Proctotrupidae Proctotrupidae is a family of parasitic wasps in the superfamily Proctotrupoidea. There are about 400 species in more than 30 genera in Proctotrupidae, found throughout most of the world. Proctotrupidae are small parasitoid wasps, that primarily ...

****Family

Roproniidae Roproniidae is a family of parasitic wasps in the superfamily Proctotrupoidea, of which only two genera are still extant, the others being fossils. Species are known from Eurasia and North America. At least some living species are known to parasi ...

****Family

Vanhorniidae ''Vanhornia'' is a genus of parasitic wasps. It is the only member of the family Vanhorniidae within the Proctotrupoidea Proctotrupoidea is a hymenopteran superfamily containing seven extant families, though others have been recognized in the ...

**Superfamily

Stephanoidea Stephanoidea is a superfamily of parasitic wasps within the Apocrita; it includes only one living family, Stephanidae (350 living species mid Cretaceous-recent), as well as the extinct families Ephialtitidae (89 species, Early Jurassic-mid Cretac ...

***Family

Stephanidae The Stephanidae, sometimes called crown wasps, are a family (biology), family of parasitoid wasps. They are the only living members of the superfamily Stephanoidea. Stephanidae has at least 345 living species in 11 genera. The family is considere ...

**Superfamily

Trigonaloidea Trigonalidae is a family of parasitic wasps in the suborder Apocrita. They are the only living members of the superfamily Trigonaloidea. Trigonalidae are divided into 2 subfamilies; Orthogonalinae and Trigonalinae. These wasps are extremely ra ...

***Family † Maimetshidae ***Family

Trigonalidae Trigonalidae is a family of parasitic wasps in the suborder Apocrita. They are the only living members of the superfamily Trigonaloidea. Trigonalidae are divided into 2 subfamilies; Orthogonalinae and Trigonalinae. These wasps are extremely ra ...

**Superfamily

Ceraphronoidea The Ceraphronoidea are a small hymenopteran superfamily that includes only two families, and a total of some 800 species, though a great many species are still undescribed. It is a poorly known group as a whole, and most are believed to be parasi ...

***Family

Ceraphronidae The Ceraphronidae, commonly known as ceraphronids or ceraphronid wasps, are a small hymenopteran family with 14 genera and some 360 known species, though a great many species are still undescribed. It is a poorly known group as a whole, though m ...

***Family

Megaspilidae The Megaspilidae are a small hymenopteran family with 13 genera in two subfamilies, and some 450 known species, with a great many species still undescribed. It is a poorly known group as a whole, though most are believed to be parasitoids (especi ...

**Superfamily

Evanioidea The Evanioidea are a small hymenopteran superfamily that includes three extant families, two of which (Aulacidae and Gasteruptiidae) are much more closely related to one another than they are to the remaining family, Evaniidae. The rich fossil re ...

***Family

Aulacidae The Aulacidae are a small, cosmopolitan family of wasps, with two extant genera containing some 200 known species. They are primarily endoparasitoids of wood wasps ( Xiphydriidae) and xylophagous beetles (Cerambycidae and Buprestidae). They ar ...

***Family Evaniidae ( ensign wasps) ***Family

Gasteruptiidae The Gasteruptiidae are one of the more distinctive families among the apocritan wasps, with surprisingly little variation in appearance for a group that contains around 500 species in two subfamilies (Gasteruptiinae and Hyptiogastrinae) and with ...

**Superfamily

Ichneumonoidea The superfamily Ichneumonoidea contains one extinct and three extant families, including the two largest families within Hymenoptera: Ichneumonidae and Braconidae. The group is thought to contain as many as 100,000 species, many of which have not ...

***Family

Braconidae The Braconidae are a family of parasitoid wasps. After the closely related Ichneumonidae, braconids make up the second-largest family in the order Hymenoptera, with about 17,000 recognized species and many thousands more undescribed. One analysis ...

***Family

Ichneumonidae The Ichneumonidae, also known as ichneumon wasps, ichneumonid wasps, ichneumonids, or Darwin wasps, are a family of parasitoid wasps of the insect order Hymenoptera. They are one of the most diverse groups within the Hymenoptera with roughly 25 ...

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ichneumon wasp The Ichneumonidae, also known as ichneumon wasps, ichneumonid wasps, ichneumonids, or Darwin wasps, are a family of parasitoid wasps of the insect order Hymenoptera. They are one of the most diverse groups within the Hymenoptera with roughly 25, ...

s) **Superfamily

Megalyroidea Megalyroidea is a small hymenopteran superfamily of wasps that includes a single family, Megalyridae, with eight extant genera (plus around a dozen extinct ones) and 49 described species. Modern megalyrids are found primarily in the southern hemi ...

***Family Megalyridae

References

External links

Suborder Apocrita – Ants, Bees and Wasps – BugGuide.Net
— images and other information
Tree of Life

Balades Entomologiques
— "entomological walks" with images {{Authority control Insect suborders Taxa named by Carl Eduard Adolph Gerstaecker