The Mesostoinae is a subfamily of
wasp
A wasp is any insect of the narrow-waisted suborder Apocrita of the order Hymenoptera which is neither a bee nor an ant; this excludes the broad-waisted sawflies (Symphyta), which look somewhat like wasps, but are in a separate suborder. ...
s
endemic
Endemism is the state of a species being found in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also found else ...
to
Australia.It contains four genera:
* ''
Andesipolis''
* ''
Hydrangeocola''
* ''
Mesostoa''
* ''
Proavga''
The members of this family display
sexual dimorphism
Sexual dimorphism is the condition where the sexes of the same animal and/or plant species exhibit different morphological characteristics, particularly characteristics not directly involved in reproduction. The condition occurs in most an ...
, males are brachypterous, which means that they have reduced, non-functional wings. A unique feature of this subfamily is that all the known species are primary
gall formers on ''
Banksia
''Banksia'' is a genus of around 170 species in the plant family Proteaceae. These Australian wildflowers and popular garden plants are easily recognised by their characteristic flower spikes, and fruiting "cones" and heads. ''Banksias'' range ...
''.
References
Australian Faunal Directory* Austin, A.D. & Dangerfield, P.C. (1998). Biology of the Mesostoa kerri Austin and Wharton (Insecta: Hymenoptera: Braconidae: Mesostoinae), an endemic Australian wasp that causes stem galls on Banksia marginata Cav. Aust. J. Bot. 46: 559-569
Braconidae
Hymenoptera subfamilies
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