Afrotropical Ceraphronoidea

Description

The parasitoid wasp superfamily Ceraphronoidea - with two families Ceraphronidae and Megaspilidae - is considered one of the less species-rich superfamilies of the often megadiverse parasitoid wasps (only ca. 600 species described worldwide). However, we hypothesize that the species diversity of the group is severely underestimated. To shed some light on the true diversity of Ceraphronoidea, we study the species of selected localities of subsaharan Africa, mostly from Kenya and Tanzania. These first deep insights into Afrotropical Ceraphronoidea reveal high numbers of undescribed species, indicating that Ceraphronoidea can be identified as another very diverse parasitoid wasp superfamily as soon as they are studied in the neccesary detail.

In addition to Ceraphronoidea, we study Afrotropical Diparinae (Chalcidoidea: Pteromalidae).

Location