''Brachymeria'' is a genus of parasitic wasps in the family
Chalcididae
The Chalcididae are a moderate-sized family within the Chalcidoidea, composed mostly of parasitoids and a few hyperparasitoids. The family is apparently polyphyletic, though the different subfamilies may each be monophyletic, and some may be elev ...
. Over 300 species are known worldwide, all of them parasites of insect pupae.
Most species are black with limited yellow markings, and like most chalcidid wasps, they have enlarged hind femora. The female typically lays eggs inside the pupae of a
lepidopteran using its ovipositor. Although mostly parasitic on Lepidoptera, a few are hyperparasites (parasites of parasitic
Hymenoptera and
Diptera), or attack other types of insect larvae (such as ''
Polistes erythrocephalus
''Polistes erythrocephalus'' is a species of paper wasp in the subfamily Polistinae of family Vespidae found in Central and South America. ''P. erythrocephalus'' is a eusocial wasp, meaning that it possesses both reproductive and non-reproducti ...
)''.
The adult parasites emerge typically from the host pupa. Some species have been used in biological control.
References
Hymenoptera genera
Chalcidoidea
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