Home > Phylum selection > Arthropoda > Hymenoptera
Home How to cite this site Terms & conditions Disclaimer Contact Site tutorial / Help Links	Superfamilia Chalcidoidea Erzwespen This superfamily has previously been regarded as a single huge family with many subfamilies. The enormous number of species has always deterred entomologists from studying these insects, thus leaving of all hymenopteran groups the most speciose one in a taxonomic chaos. The situation at the end of the 19th and the beginning of the 20th century has probably been summarized best by an obviously frustrated and desperate Prof. Schmiedeknecht (1907), one of the most important hymenopterologists, who starts his chapter on chalcidids in the following manner: "Mit den Chalcididen kommen wir zur vielleicht artenreichsten, sicherlich zur schwierigsten Gruppe der Hymenopteren. Ich will an dieser Stelle anführen, was Förster im Jahre 1856 schreibt: „Diese beiden Gruppen (Chalcididen und Proctotrupiden) bieten ein Wunder an Form und Farbenschmuck dem überraschten Auge dar. Der systematische Ausbau hat, obgleich mit großen Schwierigkeiten kämpfend, begonnen, und wenn er glücklich dem Schicksal einer verwirrten und verwirrenden Synonymie, dieser Scylla und Charybdis der Entomologie, entgeht und mit sicherer Hand geführt wird, muß diesem interessanten Zweige der Hymenopterologie eine staunenswerte Entwicklung folgen, reich und überraschend durch die Schönheit der Formen, aber noch anziehender durch den biologischen Charakter." Ich gebe Förster vollkommen recht, wenn er die Farbenpracht und die Formenschönheit dieser winzigen Wesen preist, aber ich kann, durch die Erfahrung belehrt, nicht mit ihm die Hoffnung teilen, daß das Studium derselben staunenswerte Fortschritte aufweisen wird. In diesem Falle ist die Natur zu groß und das menschliche Leben zu kurz. Und selbst wenn sich jemand fände, dem das nötige Auge, dem Zeit und Mittel zur Verfügung ständen, dem die Arbeitskraft und Lust nicht erlahmte, welcher Dank und Lohn würde ihm wohl für die unendliche Mühe zuteil? Schließlich müsste er sein Werk noch auf eigene Kosten drucken lassen." Translation: "With the Chalcidids we now come to the arguably most speciose, but definitely most difficult group of all hymenopterans. I would like to cite here Förster who writes in his 1856 work: `These two groups (he separates Proctotrupids from Chalcidids) provide wonders of form and color to the marvelling eye. The systematic treatment, albeit struggling with tremendous difficulties, has just started, and when it finally will have escaped from the fate of a confused and confusing synonymy, this Scylla and Charybdis of entomology, and is led by a strong guiding hand, this interesting branch of hymenopterology must flourish, rich and astonishing through the beauty of forms, but even more attractive because of its biological value.´ I fully agree with Förster as far as his praise of color and beauty of form of these tiny creatures is concerned, but taught by own experience I cannot share his optimism that the study of these insects will hold notable progress in the future. In this particular case nature is just too magnificent and a human life too short. And even if somebody was to meet the challenge, who has the necessary attention to detail, who is provided with time and financial means, who does not run out of perseverance and joy, what would be the prize and tribute for his abysmal travails? In the end he would have to have his work printed at his own expense." There is not much that I could add to Schmiedeknecht´s assessment. Of course, in the 100-plus years since Schmideknecht´s writings some progress has been made. However, several groups of chalcidids are still virtually unstudied and their biology is unknown. The groups that have previously been classified as subfamilies are now mostly regarded as families, but their systematics is still very much debated. Some taxa are recognized as families by some authors, and as subfamilies by other authors. And there are quite some genera the familial placement of which is still not clear. These genera are assigned to different families/subfamilies depending on the author. I use here the following systematic system for the Chalcidoidea, but please note that other systems are currently in use as well; this has to be kept in mind if you are using other sources in parallel with DEpository and cannot locate a genus in a given familiy. Superfamilia Chalcidoidea Familia Aphelinidae (some authors include this family in the Encyrtidae) Familia Chalcididae Familia Encyrtidae Familia Eucharitidae Familia Eulophidae (includes the Elasmidae, recognized as a separate family by some authors) Familia Eupelmidae Familia Eurytomidae Familia Leucospidae Familia Mymaridae Familia Mymarommatidae (might represent a separate superfamily) Familia Ormyridae Familia Perilampidae (includes the Chrysolampidae, recognized as a separate family by some authors) Familia Pteromalidae Familia Signiphoridae (=Thysanidae) Familia Tetracampidae Familia Torymidae Familia Trichogrammatidae This page has been updated on December 9, 2011 This site is online since May 31, 2005 Copyright © by Nikola-Michael Prpic. All rights reserved.	Related information: Hymenoptera main page References