Dryinidae

Dryinidae
Dryinidae
Typical female dryinid
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Hymenoptera
Suborder: Apocrita
Superfamily: Chrysidoidea
Family: Dryinidae
Subfamilies

Anteoninae
Aphelopinae
Apoaphelopinae
Apodryininae
Bocchinae
Conganteoninae
Dryininae
Erwiniinae
Gonatopodinae
Plesiodryininae
Transdryininae

Issus coleoptratus nymph with dryinid larva under right wing

Dryinidae is a family of hymenopteran insects with about 1,400 described species found worldwide. These are solitary wasps whose larvae are parasitoids on other insects. The only known hosts are Hemiptera, especially leafhoppers.

Adults of these insects are generally fairly small, to a maximum length of 10 mm. Males are usually fully winged but females are often completely wingless and closely resemble ants.

The eggs are injected into the host using a sharp ovipositor and the larva spends its early stages feeding internally on the host but when larger it starts to protrude from the abdomen of the host and develops a hardened sac-like "case" to protect its vulnerable body while continuing to feed on the host, which is eventually killed.

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