Family PTEROMALIDAE

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Introduction

The Pteromalidae are one of the three largest families of Chalcidoidea. Currently just over 560 species are described from Australia. The family is not as clearly defined, and members are generally recognised by the lack of distinctive characters which are used to define other families. Indeed, some subfamilies appear to be assigned to Pteromalidae mainly because they do not fit into any other chalcid family. A great deal of work still needs to establish a more stable classification for the chalcidoids, and a re-evaluation of the pteromalid groups, necessarily, will be an integral part of this. As presently defined, the family is characterised by having the tarsi 5-segmented, the antenna usually with 5–7 funicular segments, the ovipositor rarely exserted, the postmarginal and stigmal veins of the fore wing well-developed and the mesopleuron not swollen and convex - in general not displaying distinctive features characteristic of other families.

The biology and host-associations of pteromalids are extremely varied, but most species are idiobionts, many developing as ectoparasitoids of larvae and pupae of Lepidoptera (moths and butterflies), Diptera (flies), Coleoptera (beetles) and Hymenoptera. Concealed hosts, such as leaf-miners and gall-inducers are commonly attacked. Other species are idiobiont endoparasitoids, commonly of lepidopterous pupae. Most members of the tribe Miscogasterini are koinobiont larval-pupal parasitoids of Diptera: Agromyzidae, and Tomicobia species develop on adult Coleoptera. A number of pteromalids are predatory rather than parasitic, and still others are phytophagous. Thus, almost the whole range of biologies found in the Chalcidoidea is present in the Pteromalidae. Several species have been used successfully in biological control; however, they do not rival the success of other parasitoid groups such as Aphelinidae, Encyrtidae and Braconidae. Boucek (1988) provides keys to the Australasian genera.

Jennings & Austin (2015) list 16 unidentified species from Lord Howe Island in the Australian Museum.

General References

Bouček, Z. 1988. Australasian Chalcidoidea (Hymenoptera). A biosystematic revision of genera of fourteen families, with a reclassification of species. London : CAB International 832 pp.

Jennings, J.T. & Austin, A.D. 2015. Synopsis of the hymenopteran fauna of Lord Howe Island with a preliminary checklist of species. Zootaxa 3931(3): 423–432

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