Skip to main content
ARS Home » Northeast Area » Beltsville, Maryland (BARC) » Beltsville Agricultural Research Center » Systematic Entomology Laboratory » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #409367
Research Project: Systematics of Beetles, Flies, Moths and Wasps with an Emphasis on Agricultural Pests, Invasive Species, Biological Control Agents, and Food Security

Location: Systematic Entomology Laboratory

Title: Eurytomidae

Author
item Gates, Michael
item ZHANG, MILES - University Of Florida
item DELVARE, GERARD - Cirad, France

Submitted to: CSIRO Australia Griffith NSW
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 9/24/2023
Publication Date: N/A
Citation: N/A

Interpretive Summary: Parasitic wasps have many species involved in not only biological control of plant and insect pests, but also as pests of various horticultural and agricultural commodities. The eurytomid wasps are an example and they can act as protagonists or antagonists in agroecosystems, thus costing or saving money related to production, depending on the circumstances. New information is presented on the organization of this family as well as early results from an analysis of relationships within the family. This information will be useful to biocontrol workers, taxonomists, entomologists, port identifiers and horticultural workers.

Technical Abstract: The parasitic wasp family Eurytomidae (Hymenoptera: Chalcidoidea) contains ~2000 species in over 70 genera and is a diverse monophyletic taxon defined by a suite of variable morphological characters. Eurytomid host associations are highly variable ranging from strict phytophagy to entomophagy, or both. The majority of eurytomid larvae are seed eaters, gall inducers, parasitoids of phytophagous insects, and either primary or secondary parasitoids of the eggs, larvae or pupae of various arthropods (Diptera, Coleoptera, Hymenoptera, Lepidoptera, Orthoptera and Araneae). Hyperparasitic eurytomids mostly attack Ichneumonoidea. Four subfamilies are recognized with Eurytominae the most diverse and common group. The chapter provides a diagnosis, discusses relevant morphology, summarizes their distribution, natural history, economic importance, and the taxonomy of important species groups, and provides a key to the subfamilies. New information is presented related to family phylogenomic hypotheses and classification.