Signiphoridae
| Signiphoridae | |
|---|---|
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Insecta |
| Order: | Hymenoptera |
| Suborder: | Apocrita |
| Superfamily: | Chalcidoidea |
| Family: | Signiphoridae Howard, 1894 |
| Genera | |
Signiphoridae (historically also known as Thysanidae) is a small family of parasitic wasps in the superfamily Chalcidoidea. There are approximately 80 species in 4 genera.
Contents |
[edit] Diagnosis
Signiphoridae range in size from 0.2 to 1.5 mm. They are usually black, brown, yellowish, occasionally with salmon pink or white details, but never metallic. Cuticle sculpturing is very light when compared to families like Eurytomidae or Chalcididae.
The main diagnostic characteristics are:
- Metasoma sessile (no "wasp waist"); the propodeum with medium triangular zone.
- Antennal club long, unsegmented, preceded by 1-4 ring-like segments ("annelli").
- Wings with medium to long marginal setae. Short post-marginal and stigmal veins. No setae or 1-2 setae on the membrane.
[edit] Habitat
Chartocerus and Thysanus have cosmopolite distributions. The only formal record for Clytina is from Eastern Europe. Signiphora, which represents more than half of the known species, is primarily Neotropical.
[edit] Biology
Most species have been reared in association with scale insects, mealybugs, aphids, psyllids and flies (chamaemyiids, gall-making chloropids, and drosophilid predators of scale insects (Woolley & Hanson, 2006). They can be either parasitoids or hyperparasitoids. While parasitoids contribute to control populations of other insects, Hyperparasitoids can disrupt systems under biological control (Sullivan, 1987, p.62-63).
[edit] Systematics and classification
Woolley (1988) made several changes in the classification at genus and species level after a phylogenetic analysis of the family. There are eleven available generic names in this group (Signiphora Ashmead, Thysanus Walker, Chartocerus Motschulsky, Clytina Erdös, Neosigniphora Rust, Kerrichiella Rozanov, Rozanoviella Subba Rao, Xana Kurdjumov, Matritia Mercet, Signiphorina Nikol'skaya and Neocales Risbec). The four last names are under synonymy or considered as subgenera in Chartocerus. Rozanoviella and Kerrichiella are synonymized under Signiphora. Neosigniphora is synonymized under Thysanus. Hence, there are currently only four valid genera. Subfamilies are not recognized.
Signiphoridae is believed to be most closely related to azotine aphelinids (Woolley 1988).
[edit] References
- Sullivan, D. J (1987). Insect hyperparasitism. Annual Review of Entomology 32:49-70. doi:10.1146/annurev.en.32.010187.000405
- Woolley, J. B. (1988). Phylogeny and classification of the Signiphoridae (Hymenoptera: Chalcidoidea). Systematic Entomology 13:465-501. doi:10.1111/j.1365-3113.1988.tb00256.x
- Woolley, J. B. & Hanson, P. E. (2006). Familia Signiphoridae. In: Hanson, P. E. & Gauld, I. D. (Eds.) Hymenoptera de la Región Neotropical. Memoirs of the American Entomological Institute 77:422-425.
