Overview
Bethylids are ectoparasitoids of larvae, and occasionally pupae, of Coleoptera (beetles) and Lepidoptera (moths and butterflies). Reduced-winged species are commonly collected in leaf litter. Several bethylids have been used in biological control programs. For example,
Goniozus jacintae
, has been used in Australia and introduced to New Zealand for the control of lightbrown apple moth,
Epiphyas postvittana
(Tortricidae).
Description
They are generally small to medium-sized (2 8 mm) and are characterised by lacking an elongate neck, having 12 13-segmented antennae, the pronotum extending posterior to the tegulae or the tegulae being absent, and having at least seven visible metasomal tergites. In addition, the head is usually prognathous (facing forwards), and the sexes are often strongly sexually dimorphic with males usually being fully winged (rarely brachypterous or with reduced wings), while females may be fully winged, brachypterous or apterous (wingless). Reduced-winged species often have very small eyes and are ant-like, except they lack the nodiform waist of Formicidae.
Distribution
There are some 2,200 species of bethylids worldwide and they are particularly abundant in the tropics. About 50 species are described for Australia. In New Zealand there is just one described endemic species (
Eupsenella insulana
) and several introduced species.
Further information about the Bethylidae can be found in Danthanarayana 1980, Finnamore & Brothers 1993, Gordh & Harris 1996, Gordh & Moczar 1990 and Naumann 1991.