| Cheloninae | |
|---|---|
| Imago of an unidentified Ascogaster species | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Insecta |
| Order: | Hymenoptera |
| Suborder: | Apocrita |
| Superfamily: | Ichneumonoidea |
| Family: | Braconidae |
| Subfamily: | Cheloninae |
| Genera | |
|
Several, see text |
|
The Cheloninae are a subfamily of braconid parasitic wasps. They are solitary koinobionts which parasitize the caterpillars of certain Lepidoptera. Especially Pyraloidea and Tortricoidea, but also other taxa whose larvae bore in stems, buds or fruits, are used as hosts. The wasps oviposit into the lepidopteran eggs, but their larvae do not develop until the caterpillar has hatched.
Most Cheloninae are small and uniformly colored. Their metasomal carapace is characteristically formed from the first three tergites.
Genera placed in the Cheloninae include: