Cheloninae


Cheloninae is a cosmopolitan subfamily of braconid parasitoid wasps.

Description

Most Cheloninae are small and uniformly colored. They have a characteristic metasomal carapace formed from the fusion of the first three tergites.

Biology

They are solitary koinobionts which parasitize Lepidoptera, especially Pyraloidea and Tortricoidea, but also other taxa whose larvae bore in stems, buds or fruits. Chelonines are egg-larval parasitoids, meaning they oviposit into a host egg, but the wasp larvae do not complete development until the caterpillar has hatched and matured. Chelonines carry polydnaviruses which aid in overcoming their hosts' immune system.

Taxonomy and phylogeny

The tribe Adeliini previously was thought to belong to the Adeliinae, but is now confirmed to be nested within Cheloninae.

Genera

placed in Cheloninae include:

Tribe Adeliini">Adeliini (wasp)">Adeliini