Superfamily EVANIOIDEA

Evanioidea

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Superfamily EVANIOIDEA

Parasitic Wasps

Compiler and date details

1 December 2010 - John T. Jennings, Australian Centre for Evolutionary Biology and School of Earth & Environmental Sciences, The University of Adelaide SA 5005

Introduction

The Evanioidea is one of the most easily recognised and distinct groups of parasitic Hymenoptera. Although the superfamily is postulated to be artificial (e.g. Gauld & Bolton 1996), molecular data supports its monophyly (e.g. Dowton et al. 1997). All members of the Evanioidea have the metasoma inserted high on the propodeum, and although this character is found in some other Hymenoptera (Naumann 1991), it easily distinguishes the group from virtually all other parasitic wasps.

Evanioidea share two possible apomorphies: the dorsal articulation of the metasoma to the mesosoma and the loss of all functional metasomal spiracles except on the seventh segment (Gauld & Bolton 1996).

The biology of the superfamily is diverse: Evaniidae parasitise cockroach oothecae, Aulacidae parasitise larvae of wood-boring wasps and beetles, and Gasteruptiidae are predator-inquilines of various solitary bees and wasps.

Acknowledgements

The compilation of this checklist was part of an ongoing project to complete the databasing of the Australian Hymenoptera funded by the Australian Biological Resources Study (ABRS). Editorial and Platypus technical support was provided by ABRS.

Database Notes

Taxa at each hierarchical level are listed in alphabetical order.

Limital Area

Distribution data in the Directory is by political and geographic region descriptors and serves as a guide to the distribution of a taxon. For details of a taxon's distribution, the reader should consult the cited references (if any) at genus and species levels.

Australia is defined as including Lord Howe Is., Norfolk Is., Cocos (Keeling) Ils, Christmas Is., Ashmore and Cartier Ils, Macquarie Is., Australian Antarctic Territory, Heard and McDonald Ils, and the waters associated with these land areas of Australian political responsibility. Political areas include the adjacent waters.

Terrestrial geographical terms are based on the drainage systems of continental Australia, while marine terms are self explanatory except as follows: the boundary between the coastal and oceanic zones is the 200 m contour; the Arafura Sea extends from Cape York to 124 DEG E; and the boundary between the Tasman and Coral Seas is considered to be the latitude of Fraser Island, also regarded as the southern terminus of the Great Barrier Reef.

Distribution records, if any, outside of these areas are listed as extralimital. The distribution descriptors for each species are collated to genus level. Users are advised that extralimital distribution for some taxa may not be complete.