Pteromalidae

Ecology

The life strategies of the species in this family vary greatly. There are both solitary and gregarious species, living outside (ectoparasitoid) or inside their prey (endoparasitoid), koinobionts and idiobionts, primary parasitoids and hyperparasitoids and even predators that kill and consume the prey immediately; they also include fig wasp genera. Because of their parasitoid nature, wasps of this family are often used as biological control agents for destructive pests such as American serpentine leafminers. Pteromalus cassotis is a parasitoid of the monarch butterfly.

Subfamilies, tribes, and genera

Historically, as many as 33 subfamilies of Pteromalidae were recognised. In this arrangement, and other similar ones, Pteromalidae had been recognized as paraphyletic, with many of these subfamilies and their genera being only distantly related. A large body of molecular and morphological research was considered in a new classification of these taxa, published in 2022; many taxa were removed from Pteromalidae and placed in other chalcidoid families, mostly new ones created from former subfamilies, leaving Pteromalidae with only 8 subfamilies.

The results of Burks et al. suggested the following arrangement of the remaining genera (in subfamilies and tribes):

Colotrechninae

• Amerostenini: Amerostenus, Errolia, Glorimontana, Yrka;
• Colotrechnini: Baridobius, Bofuria, Bomburia, Cameronella, Colotrechnus, Dipachystigma, Dvalinia, Elachertodomyia, Pachyneuronella, Podivna, Uriellopteromalus, Uzka;
• Divnini: Divna;
• Trigonoderopsini: Bugacia, Trigonoderopsis.

Erixestinae

• Erixestus.

Miscogastrinae

• Diconocarini: Diconocara;
• Miscogastrini: Collentis, Drailea, Glyphognathus, Lamprotatus, Miscogaster, Neoskeloceras, Paralamprotatus, Seladerma, Sphaeripalpus, Stictomischus, Telepsogina, Thektogaster, Tumor, Xestomnaster;
• Sphegigastrini: Acroclisis, Ammeia, Andersena, Ardilea, Bairamlia, Bubekia, Bubekiana, Callicarolynia, Callimerismus, Ceratetra, Cryptoprymna, Cyrtogaster, Haliplogeton, Halticoptera, Harrizia, Kazina, Maorita, Mauleus, Merismus, Notoglyptus, Notoprymna, Novitzkyanus, Paracroclisis, Ploskana, Polstonia, Rhicnocoelia, Schimitschekia, Sorosina, Sphegigaster, Syntomopus, Thinodytes, Toxeuma, Tricyclomischus, Trigonogastrella, Vespita.

Ormocerinae

• Blascoa, Cecidoxenus, Monazosa, Nodisoplata, Ormocerus.

Pachyneurinae

• Acroclisoides, Amblyharma, Austroterobia, Canada, Coruna, Euneura, Fusta, Goidanichium, Golovissima, Inkaka, Metastenus, Nazgulia, Neotoxeumorpha, Oomara, Oricoruna, Ottaria, Pachycrepoideus, Pachyneuron, Parabruchobius, Platecrizotes, Teasienna, Toxeumorpha.

Pteromalinae

• Otitesellini: Adiyodiella, Apocrypta, Arachonia, Bouceka, Comptoniella, Crossogaster, Diaziella, Dobunabaa, Eujacobsonia, Grandiana, Grasseiana, Guadalia, Lipothymus, Marginalia, Micranisa, Micrognathophora, Otitesella, Philosycella, Philosycus, Philoverdance, Philotrypesis, Robertsia, Seres, Sycoecus, Sycoryctes, Sycoscapter, Walkerella, Watshamiella;
• Pteromalini: Ablaxia, Abomalus, Acaenacis, Acroclisella, Acroclisissa, Acroclypa, Acrocormus, Aepocerus, Afropsilocera, Aggelma, Agiommatus, Aiemea, Allocricellius, Alticornis, Amandia, Amblypachus, Amphidocius, Angulifrons, Anisopteromalus, Ankaratrella, Anogmoides, Anogmus, Anorbanus, Apelioma, Apsilocera, Apycnetron, Arachnopteromalus, Arriva, Arthrolytus, Asoka, Atrichomalus, Boharticus, Bonitoa, Boucekina, Brachycaudonia, Bupronotum, Caenacis, Caenocrepis, Calliprymna, Callitula, Canberrana, Capellia, Catolaccus, Cecidolampa, Cecidostiba, Cheiropachus, Chlorocytus, Chrysoglyphe, Coelopisthia, Conigastrus, Conomorium, Cratomus, Critogaster, Cyclogastrella, Cyrtophagoides, Cyrtoptyx, Dasyneurophaga, Delisleia, Delucchia, Dibrachoides, Dibrachys, Diglochis, Dimachus, Dinarmoides, Dinarmolaelaps, Dinarmus, Dineuticida, Dinotiscus, Dinotoides, Diourbelia, Dirhicnus, Doganlaria, Dorcatomophaga, Elderia, Endomychobius, Epanogmus, Epicatolaccus, Epipteromalus, Erdoesina, Erythromalus, Eulonchetron, Eumacepolus, Eurydinota, Eurydinoteloides, Eurydinotomorpha, Euteloida, Ezgia, Fedelia, Ficicola, Fijita, Frena, Gbelcia, Genangula, Globimesosoma, Grissellium, Guancheria, Gugolzia, Guinea, Guolina, Gyrinophagus, Habritella, Habritys, Habromalina, Halomalus, Halticopterella, Halticopteroides, Helocasis, Heterandrium, Heteroprymna, Heteroschema, Hillerita, Hlavka, Hobbya, Holcaeus, Homoporus, Huberina, Hypopteromalus, Ischyroptyx, Isocyrtella, Isocyrtus, Isoplatoides, Jaliscoa, Kaleva, Klabonosa, Kratka, Kukua, Kumarella, Lampoterma, Lariophagus, Laticlypa, Lenka, Leodamus, Leptomeraporus, Licteria, Lomonosoffiella, Lonchetron, Longinucha, Lyrcus, Lysirina, Lyubana, Makaronesa, Mazinawa, Megadicylus, Merallus, Meraporus, Merismoclea, Merismomorpha, Merisus, Mesopolobus, Metacolus, Meximalus, Mimencyrtus, Mirekia, Miristhma, Mokrzeckia, Monoksa, Morodora, Muscidifurax, Nadelaia, Narendrella, Nasonia, Neanica, Nedinotus, Neocatolaccus, Neolyubana, Neopolycystus, Nephelomalus, Nikolskayana, Norbanus, Nuchata, Oaxa, Obalana, Olchon, Oniticellobia, Ottawita, Oxyharma, Oxysychus, Pandelus, Panstenon, Paracarotomus, Paradinarmus, Paraiemea, Paroxyharma, Pegopus, Peridesmia, Perilampidea, Perniphora, Pestra, Pezilepsis, Phaenocytus, Platneptis, Platypteromalus, Procallitula, Propicroscytus, Propodeia, Pseudanogmus, Pseudetroxys, Pseudocatolaccus, Psilocera, Psilonotus, Psychophagoides, Psychophagus, Pterapicus, Pterisemoppa, Pteromalus, Pterosemigastra, Pterosemopsis, Ptinocida, Pycnetron, Quercanus, Rakosina, Raspela, Rhaphitelus, Rhopalicus, Rohatina, Roptrocerus, Sceptrothelys, Schizonotus, Sedma, Sigynia, Sisyridivora, Spaniopus, Sphegigastrella, Sphegipterosema, Sphegipterosemella, Spilomalus, Spintherus, Spodophagus, Staurothyreus, Stenetra, Stenomalina, Stenoselma, Stichocrepis, Stinoplus, Strejcekia, Synedrus, Systellogaster, Szelenyinus, Tachingousa, Tanina, Tanzanicesa, Termolampa, Thureonella, Tomicobia, Toxeumella, Toxeumelloides, Trichargyrus, Trichokaleva, Trichomalopsis, Trichomalus, Tricolas, Trimeromicrus, Trinotiscus, Tritneptis, Trjapitzinia, Trychnosoma, Tsela, Uniclypea, Urolepis, Usubaia, Veltrusia, Vrestovia, Xiphydriophagus, Yanchepia, Yosemitea, Zdenekiana.

Sycophaginae

• Anidarnes, Conidarnes, Eukoebelea, Idarnes, Neoeukobelea, Pseudidarnes, Sycidiphaga, Sycophaga.

Trigonoderinae

• Erdoesia, Eutelisca, Gastracanthus, Janssoniella, Miscogasteriella, Neolelaps, Ogloblinisca, Platygerrhus, Plutothrix, Trigonoderus.

Incertae sedis (unplaced to subfamily)

Calolelaps, Hemitrichus, Ksenoplata, Mesolelaps, Stictolelaps, Yusufia.