Family SIGNIPHORIDAE
Compiler and date details
July 2012 - Danielle N. Stringer, Sarah Mantel, John T. Jennings & Andrew D. Austin, Australian Centre for Evolutionary Biology and Biodiversity, and the School of Earth and Environmental Science, The University of Adelaide, South Australia, Australia
Introduction
The Signiphoridae are a small family, characterised by the wings being bare (i.e. without any small setae (hairs) on their surface, although a few large setae may be present); the thorax smooth with the scutellum and axillae fused and forming a narrow transverse sclerite; and a triangular area in the middle of the propodeum; the antenna without funicular segments, with 2–4 anelli followed by a long, unsegmented club, the tarsi 5-segmented, and the body non-metallic. Signiphorids are small in size (0.5–1.2 mm), and are generally black or yellow and black or brown in colour.
Signiphorids are quite commonly reared from scale insects (Hemiptera), both Diaspididae and Pseudococcidae, and may be primary or hyperparasitoids. Aleyrodidae (Hemiptera) and dipterous (fly) puparia are also attacked, as are lepidopteran (moth and butterfly) eggs. In most of these cases the signiphorids are hyperparasitic. There are no keys to Australasian genera; however, Woolley (1988) provided a key to world genera.
General References
Woolley, J.B. 1988. Phylogeny and classification of the Signiphoridae (Hymenoptera: Chalcidoidea). Systematic Entomology 13: 465-501
History of changes
| Published | As part of group | Action Date | Action Type | Compiler(s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 07-Aug-2012 | 07-Aug-2012 | MODIFIED | ||
| 06-Feb-2012 | MODIFIED |