Bethylidae Explained
The Bethylidae are a family of aculeate wasps in the superfamily Chrysidoidea. As a family, their biology ranges between parasitoid wasps and hunting wasps.
Overview
Like most of the Chrysidoidea, the Bethylidae are stinging Hymenoptera and most are parasitoids. Some of them, however, have developed their parasitoidal biology along predatory lines and they sting and malaxate their victims into paralysis. Then they hide the prey and lay their eggs on them.According to Azevedo et al. (2018) eight subfamilies of the Bethylidae are recognized:[1]
- Pristocerinae
- Epyrinae
- Mesitiinae
- Bethylinae
- Scleroderminae
- †Lancepyrinae
- †Protopristocerinae
- †Holopsenellinae
Genera
According to Azevedo et al. (2018) there are 96 genera belong to the family Bethylidae. Some are listed here:
- Afrobethylus Ramos & Azevedo
g
g
g- Allobethylus Kieffer, 1905
g
g
g b- Anisobrachium Kieffer, 1905
g
g b- Archaeopristocera Terayama, 2004
g
g
g- Ateleopterus Förster, 1856
g- Australomesitius Barbosa & Azevedo
g- Bethylitella Cockerell, 1917
g
g- Bethylopteron Brues, 1933
g
g b- Caloapenesia Terayama, 1995
g- Calobrachium Gobbi & Azevedo, 2016
g- Calyozina Enderlein, 1912
g
g
i c g b
c g
b (chlorepyris)
g
g
g- Cretepyris Ortega-Blanco & Engel, 2013
g- Cretobethylellus Rasnitsyn, 1990
g- Dissomphalus Ashmead, 1893
g b
g
g b- Eupsenella Westwood, 1874
c g- Foenobethylus Kieffer, 1913
g- Formosiepyris Terayama, 2004
g
g
c g b- Heterocoelia Dahlbom, 1854
g
g b
g
g
g b- †Lancepyris Azevedo & Azar, 2012
g- Lithobiocerus Bridwell, 1919
g- Liztor Ortega-Blanco & Engel, 2013
g- Lytopsenella Kieffer, 1911
g- Megaprosternum Azevedo, 2006
g
g
g- Moczariella Barbosa & Azevedo, 2014
g- Odontepyris Kieffer, 1904
g- Parapristocera Brues, 1933
g- Pararhabdepyris Gorbatovsky, 1995
g- Parascleroderma Kieffer, 1904
g- Pilomesitius Moczar, 1970
g- Plastanoxus Kieffer, 1905
g
g b- Pristepyris Kieffer, 1905
g b
g
g- †Protopristocera Brues, 1923
g
g b- Psilobethylus Kieffer, 1906
g- Pycnomesitius Moczar, 1971
g- Rhabdepyris Kieffer, 1904
g
g b
g- Sulcomesitius Moczar, 1970
g
g- Tuberepyris Lanes & Azevedo, 2008
g
gData sources: i = ITIS, c = Catalogue of Life, g = GBIF, b = Bugguide.netEvolution
The oldest known records of the group are from the Barremian aged Lebanese amber.[2] [3]
Notes and References
- I.D. . Alencar . Azevedo . C.O. . Reclassification of Epyrini (Hymenoptera: Bethylidae): a tribal approach with commentary on their genera . Systematic Entomology . 38 . 1 . 45–80 . 2013 . 10.1111/j.1365-3113.2012.00648.x . 84529518 .
C.O. . Azevedo . Azar . D. . A new fossil subfamily of Bethylidae (Hymenoptera) from the Early Cretaceous Lebanese amber and its phylogenetic position . Zoologia (Curitiba) . 29 . 3 . 210–8 . 2012 . 10.1590/S1984-46702012000300004 . free .
- M. S. Engel, J. Ortega-Blanco, and C. O. Ozevedo. 2016. A new bethylid wasp in Lebanese Early Cretaceous amber (Hymenoptera: Chrysidoidea), with comments on other Mesozoic taxa. American Museum Novitates 3855:1-14
- Azevedo. Celso O.. Azar. Dany. June 2012. A new fossil subfamily of Bethylidae (Hymenoptera) from the Early Cretaceous Lebanese amber and its phylogenetic position. Zoologia (Curitiba). 29. 3. 210–218. 10.1590/s1984-46702012000300004. 1984-4689. free.