Trichogrammatidae (parasitoids)

Chalcidoidea (parasitoids) • Hymenoptera parasitoids • Beneficials/natural enemies

Trichogramma platneri female on egg of Trichoplusia ni (click on image to enlarge it)
Author(s): Max E. Badgley (copyright holder)
Source: BugsInTheNews

Trichogrammatidae

This is a family of tiny egg parasitoids with nearly 1,000 species. The adults are minute, typically less than 1 mm. Many species are important biological control agents which parasitise the eggs of a large variety of insect pests, in particular Lepidoptera.

Apart from the small size, the family is characterized by their fringed wings and the 5-9 segmented antennae and the short pronotum.

The following genera and individual species are currently entered under the family Pteromalidae:

• Ceratogramma (genus - parasitoids)
• Haeckeliania sperata (parasitoid)
• Lathromeris ovicida (parasitoid)

• Trichogramma (genus - parasitoids)
• Trichogrammatoidea (genus - parasitoids)
• Uscana (genus - parasitoids)