Gasteruptiidae
John T. Jennings and Andrew R. Deans![taxon links](/Public/treeImages/Gasteruptiidae.png?x=-597282686)
![Interpreting the tree](/tree/img/help.gif)
![close box](/tree/img/close.gif)
This tree diagram shows the relationships between several groups of organisms.
The root of the current tree connects the organisms featured in this tree to their containing group and the rest of the Tree of Life. The basal branching point in the tree represents the ancestor of the other groups in the tree. This ancestor diversified over time into several descendent subgroups, which are represented as internal nodes and terminal taxa to the right.
![example of a tree diagram](/tree/img/TreeHelpImage.gif)
You can click on the root to travel down the Tree of Life all the way to the root of all Life, and you can click on the names of descendent subgroups to travel up the Tree of Life all the way to individual species.
For more information on ToL tree formatting, please see Interpreting the Tree or Classification. To learn more about phylogenetic trees, please visit our Phylogenetic Biology pages.
close boxIntroduction
Gasteruptiidae is represented by perhaps 1500-2000 species worldwide (Jennings and Austin 2002), of which about 500 are described. It is divided into three subfamilies:
- Kotujellitinae - fossil subfamily containing two monotypic genera from the Late Cretaceous of northern Siberia and the mid-Early Cretaceous of Mongolia (Basibuyuk et al. 2002)
- Gasteruptiinae - extant subfamily with one genus (Jennings and Austin 2000)
- Hyptiogastrinae - extant subfamily with two genera (Jennings and Austin 2000)
The larvae of Gasteruptiidae are reported to be predators or predator-inquilines of various solitary bees and wasps (e.g. Höppner 1904; Malyshev 1966; Carlson 1979, Jennings and Austin 2004). Various authors have used the term secondary cleptoparasitoid (synonymous with predator-inquiline) (see Valentine and Walker 1991) or ectoparasitoid (synonymous with predator) (see Prinsloo 1985) when referring to gasteruptiids.
Characteristics
Gasteruptiidae is one on the most easily recognised families of parasitic wasps. They are particularly distinctive because of their slender, subclavate metasoma (see title illustrations), the dorsal articulation of the metasoma to the propodeum (see the Evanioidea page), the elongate, neck-like propleura, and expanded hind tibia.
Discussion of Phylogenetic Relationships
In a recent phylogenetic analysis by Jennings & Austin (2000), Gasteruptiinae (Gasteruption) was shown to be a monophyletic group and the sister to Hyptiogastrinae. Jennings & Austin (2002) examined internal relationships within Hyptiogastrinae and recognised just two genera; Hyptiogaster Kieffer which includes all taxa with an exserted ovipositor, and its sister genus Pseudofoenus Kieffer, representing all remaining Hyptiogastrinae (i.e. those with a short and hidden ovipositor).
References
Carlson, R. W. 1979. Superfamily Evanioidea. pp. 1109-1118. In Krombein, K. V., Hurd, P. D., Smith, D. R., and Burks, B. D. (Eds.), Catalog of Hymenoptera in America North of Mexico. Vol. 1. Symphyta and Apocrita (Parasitica). (Smithsonian Institution Press: Washington, DC).
Höppner, H. 1904. Zur biologie der Rubus-bewohner. Allegemeine Zeitschrift fur Entomologie 5/6, 97-103.
Jennings, J. T. and Austin, A. D., 2004. Biology and host relationships of aulacid and gasteruptiid wasps (Hymenoptera: Evanioidea): a review. pp. 187-215. In Rajmohana, K., Sudheer, K., Girish Kumar, P., & Santhosh, S. (Eds.) Perspectives on Biosystematics and Biodiversity. University of Calicut, Kerala, India.
Jennings, J. T. and A. D. Austin. 2002. Systematics and distribution of world hyptiogastrine wasps (Hymenoptera: Gasteruptiidae). Invertebrate Systematics 16: 735-811.
Jennings, J. T. and Austin, A. D. 2000. Higher-level phylogeny of the Aulacidae and Gasteruptiidae (Hymenoptera: Evanioidea). pp. 154-164. In Austin, A. D. & M. Dowton (Eds) The Hymenoptera: Evolution, Biodiversity and Biological Control. CSIRO Publishing, Melbourne.
Malyshev, S. I. 1966. Genesis of the Hymenoptera and the Phases of Their Evolution. (Transl.) (Methuen & Co.: London).
Prinsloo, G. L. 1985. Order Hymenoptera (sawflies, wasps, bees, ants). Suborder Apocrita. Section Parasitica. pp. 404-406. In Scholtz, C. H., and Holm, E. (Eds.), Insects of Southern Africa (Butterworths: Durban).
Valentine, E. W. and Walker, A. K. 1991. Annotated catalogue of New Zealand Hymenoptera. DSIR Plant Protection Report No. 4.
Title Illustrations
![Click on an image to view larger version & data in a new window](/tree/img/magnify.gif)
Scientific Name | Gasteruption jaculator |
---|---|
Specimen Condition | Live Specimen |
Sex | Female |
Life Cycle Stage | adult |
Copyright | © 2004 Hania Arentsen and Hans Arentsen |
Scientific Name | Pseudofoenus spinitarsis (Westwood) |
---|---|
Location | Australia |
Comments | Scale bar = 1 mm |
Creator | G. Weber, photographer |
Specimen Condition | Live Specimen |
Identified By | John Jennings |
Sex | Female |
Life Cycle Stage | adult |
Body Part | habitus |
Image Use |
![]() |
Copyright |
© 2004 John T. Jennings
![]() |
About This Page
John T. Jennings
University of Adelaide, Glen Osmond, South Australia, Australia
Andrew R. Deans
Department of Entomology, NC State University
Correspondence regarding this page should be directed to John T. Jennings at and Andrew R. Deans at
Page copyright © 2004 John T. Jennings and Andrew R. Deans
Page: Tree of Life
Gasteruptiidae.
Authored by
John T. Jennings and Andrew R. Deans.
The TEXT of this page is licensed under the
Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike License - Version 3.0. Note that images and other media
featured on this page are each governed by their own license, and they may or may not be available
for reuse. Click on an image or a media link to access the media data window, which provides the
relevant licensing information. For the general terms and conditions of ToL material reuse and
redistribution, please see the Tree of Life Copyright
Policies.
- First online 04 October 2004
- Content changed 22 May 2006
Citing this page:
Jennings, John T. and Andrew R. Deans. 2006. Gasteruptiidae. Version 22 May 2006. http://tolweb.org/Gasteruptiidae/23535/2006.05.22 in The Tree of Life Web Project, http://tolweb.org/