Braconid wasps
Click to enlarge image
Braconid wasp, Genus Callibracon
Image: Andrew Donnelly
© Australian Museum
© Australian Museum
Fast Facts
-
Classification
- Genus
- Callibracon
- Subfamily
- Braconinae
- Family
- Braconidae
- Super Family
- Ichneumonoidea
- Order
- Hymenoptera
- Class
- Insecta
- Subphylum
- Uniramia
- Phylum
- Arthopoda
- Kingdom
- Animalia
-
- Size Range
- 2 cm
Introduction
Braconid wasps are a large family of wasps with over 800 Australian species. They are closely related to the ichneumonid wasps and parasitise the larvae of many insect groups in a similar way.
Habitat
Braconid wasps live in urban areas, forests and woodlands, wetlands.
Distribution
Braconid wasps are found throughout Australia.
Feeding and diet
Braconid wasps can be seen around Sydney woodlands searching for beetle larvae in logs and the trunks of fallen trees.
Life history cycle
Braconid wasps use the egg and adult stages of other insects as hosts for their young. On finding a suitable host, eggs are laid on or in the victim, providing the wasp larvae with a meal when they hatch.
Economic impacts
Some braconid wasps play an important role in controlling pest species of insects such as aphids.
