The Chalcididae are a moderate-sized group within the Chalcidoidea, composed mostly of parasitoids and a few hyperparasitoids. The group is apparently polyphyletic, though the different subfamilies may each be monophyletic, and some may be elevated to family status in the near future. As presently defined, there are over 85 genera and >1455 species worldwide. They are often black with yellow, red, or white markings, rarely brilliantly metallic, with a robust mesosoma and very strong sculpturing. The hind femora are often greatly enlarged, with a row of teeth or serrations along the lower margin. Chalcidoidea is a superfamily of Hymenoptera There are nineteen families Agaonidae Walker, 1846 Aphelinidae Thomson, 1876 Chalcididae Latreille, 1817 Encyrtidae Walker, 1837 Eucharitidae Latreille, 1809 Eulophidae (including Elasmidae) Westwood, 1829 Eupelmidae Walker, 1833 Eurytomidae Walker, 1832 Leucospidae Fabricius, 1775 Mymaridae Haliday, 1833 Ormyridae Forster, 1856 Perilampidae Latreille, 1809 Pteromalidae Dalman... This article or section is in need of attention from an expert on the subject. ... In biology, a taxon is polyphyletic if it is descended from more than one root form (in Greek poly = many and phyletic = racial). ... In phylogenetics, a group is monophyletic (Greek: of one stem) if all organisms in that group are known to have developed from a common ancestral form, and all descendants of that form are included in the group. ... Scorpion anatomy: 1 = Prosoma; 2 = Mesosoma; 3 = Metasoma The mesosoma is clearly visible on this ant: it is the midlle section, in between the head and the petiole The mesosoma is the middle part of the body, or tagma, of arthropods whose body is composed of three parts, the other... An insect leg The arthropod leg is a form of jointed appendage of arthropods, usually used for walking. ...

One of the more remarkable uses of the muscular hind legs is the species Lasiochalcidia igiliensis, which attacks the dangerous, predatory larvae of ant lions, holding the mandibles of the larva spread apart while the wasp carefully injects an egg into the membrane of the exposed throat. Antlions are a family of insects, classified as Myrmeleontidae, from the Greek myrmex, meaning ant, and leon, meaning lion. Antlions are small, fully developed larvae being 1. ...

External links

• Universal Chalcidoidea Database