Universal Chalcidoidea Database
John S. Noyes
Welcome to the wonderful world of chalcidoid wasps!
Described as "gem-like inhabitants of the woodlands by most never seen nor dreamt of", chalcidoids include some of the most beautiful insects on the planet, but are amongst some of the most poorly known. They exhibit amazingly diverse life histories and profoundly influence all types of ecosytems, from rainforests to agriculture. Many species are natural enemies of insect pests and are used instead of pesticides to control them. As many as half a million species may exist, but only about 22,000 are documented, largely because chalcidoids are small to minute in size.The group includes the world's smallest adult insect, the degenerate male of Dicopomorpha echmepterygis, which is only a staggering 0.11mm long.
This database is also available on CD. This allows for faster more flexible searches and includes some facilities not available on this site. See www.taxapad.com
Contents
- About chalcidoids
- Key to the families
- About the database
- Images
- Collecting and preserving
- Family index
- Search the database
- Acknowledgements
- Links to some related sites
Contact Andrew Polaszek
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