Braconid Wasps

This is a large and important group of mostly primary parasites. They are closely allied with the Ichneumonidae and can be distinguished by the absence of the second recurrent vein in the forewing. The classification used in this catalog departs somewhat from the former catalog but is, nevertheless, a conservative arrangement and is based on studies made by Telenga (1952), Tobias (1967) and Capek (1969, 1970). This arrangement reflects as much as possible relationships among the groups with respect to morphology--larval as well as adult--and biology. The subfamilies Doryctinae, Braconinae, Exothecinae and Rogadinae form a morphologically similar group of unspecialized Braconidae called the Cyclostomi in reference to the circular opening formed by the clypeus and mandibles. The Doryctinae, Braconinae and Exothecinae are ectoparasites of cryptic host larvae, usually permanently paralyzing the host, and are considered to be the most primitive groups. The Rogadinae, which are endoparasites of lepidopterous larvae, represent the transition from external to internal parasitism which is exhibited by the remainder of the Braconidae, or the Acyclostomi. ~The subfamilies are arranged in this catalog essentially in phylogenetic order from the least specialized to the most specialized. However, within each subfamily the genera are arranged in alphabetical order as are the species within each genus. The names used for the hosts are the latest acceptable names which were available at the time the manuscripts were prepared. Where a North American species occurs in other geographical areas, only the North American hosts for that parasite are listed.