Overview
Leucospids are
parasitoids
of solitary aculeate Hymenoptera, mostly
bees.
Leucospis
is the only Australian genus, and is treated in Boucek (1988).
Description
Leucospids are among the largest of the chalcidoids, with some species up to 16 mm in length. They are characterised by the hind femur swollen and the ventral surface toothed; the tegula elongate, more than two times longer than wide; the fore wing often longitudinally folded; the ovipositor generally exserted and curving upward over the metasoma; the body usually black, non-metallic and with yellow or red markings.
Distribution
This is a small, rarely collected family with 11 described species in Australia. They do not occur in New Zealand.
Further information about the Leucospidae can be found in Boucek 1988, Gibson 1993, Naumann 1991 and Noyes 2001.