Platygastroidea
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Platygastroidea Temporal range: | |
|---|---|
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| A platygastrid wasp (Leptacis sp.) | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Insecta |
| Order: | Hymenoptera |
| Infraorder: | Proctotrupomorpha |
| Superfamily: | Platygastroidea |
| Families | |
Platygastroidea is a superfamily of parasitoid wasps with more than 4400 described species, but it is estimated that there may be a total of about 10 000 species worldwide.[1][2]
These are mostly very small (1-2.5 mm) wasps although some species are as small as 0.5 mm, with others being up to 12 mm long. Most are solitary endoparasites of insect and spider eggs. Their gross morphology (habitus) is diverse as it depends largely on the shape and size of the host egg - their bodies range from short and stocky to thin and elongated.[1][2]
