Chrysolampidae

Chrysolampidae is a small family of parasitoids within the Chalcidoidea. The family is related to a clade that includes the Eucharitidae, Perilampidae and Eutrichosomatidae. This group of wasp families have first-instar larvae that are called "planidia". Adult females lay eggs on vegetation (often flowers) frequented by their host insects; after hatching, the planidia attach themselves to adults of the host, which then carries some of them to nests of the host. Here they parasitize the host larvae or pupae, before developing into winged adults.^[1][2]

Chrysolampidae Temporal range: Ypresian–Recent PreꞒ Ꞓ O S D C P T J K Pg N
Philomides sp. (Philomidinae)
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Class:	Insecta
Order:	Hymenoptera
Superfamily:	Chalcidoidea
Family:	Chrysolampidae
Subfamilies
Chrysolampinae Philomidinae
Diversity
2 subfamilies 9 genera

Subfamiles and genera

Chrysolampinae

• Austrotoxeuma (Australia and New Zealand)
• Brachyelatus (Australia)
• Chrysolampus (North America, Europe, Africa, Asia and Australia)
• Chrysomalla (Asia, Europe, North Africa, Western USA, and Australia)
• Elatomorpha (Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Turkey, Morocco)
• Parelatus (Australia)

Philomidinae

• Aperilampus (Afrotropics)
• Philomides (Afrotropics, southern Palearctic and Indomalaya)
• Vidlinus (Afrotropics)

Distribution

The distribution of the Chrysolampinae includes steppe and Mediterranean regions in western North America, Europe, North Africa and Central Asia, mesic forests in Europe and Asia, and tropical forests in Australia and the Philippines.^[3] Philomidinae are found in a range of vegetation types in the Afrotropics, southern Palearctic and Indomalaya.^[1]

Biology

Knowledge of the biology of the Chrysolampidae is limited: A few species of the Chrysolampinae are known to be parasitoids of beetles, including weevils of the genus Tychius and a pollen beetle Meligethes pedicularius.^[3] Aperilampus varians is a parasitoid of the pupa of Halictus africanus; other species of the Philomidinae are probably also parasitoids of ground-nesting bees.^[1]