| Dryinidae | |
|---|---|
| Typical female dryinid | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Insecta |
| Order: | Hymenoptera |
| Suborder: | Apocrita |
| Superfamily: | Chrysidoidea |
| Family: | Dryinidae |
| Subfamilies | |
|
Anteoninae |
|
Dryinidae is a family of hymenopteran insects with about 1,400 described species found worldwide. These are solitary wasps whose larvae are parasitoids on other insects. The only known hosts are Hemiptera, especially leafhoppers.
Adults of these insects are generally fairly small, to a maximum length of 10 mm. Males are usually fully winged but females are often completely wingless and closely resemble ants.
The eggs are injected into the host using a sharp ovipositor and the larva spends its early stages feeding internally on the host but when larger it starts to protrude from the abdomen of the host and develops a hardened sac-like "case" to protect its vulnerable body while continuing to feed on the host, which is eventually killed.