Proctotrupidae

views updated

Proctotrupidae (suborder Apocrita, superfamily Proctotrupoidea) Small family of moderately common. Shiny black insects which have characteristic wing venation. The fore wing has a costal cell with a large stigma and a very small marginal cell. The antennae are 13-segmented, and arise from the middle of the face. Adults are 3–12 mm long, and have spindle-shaped abdomens on short petioles. Little is known about the larval stages of some species, but some parasitize the larvae of Coleoptera.