ENY 3005 Family Identification

Hymenoptera: Chrysididae Pronunciation: cry-SID-di-dee Common name: cuckoo wasps Etymology: chryso (Greek), gold, referring to golden color of some species.

Identifying characteristics for the family Chrysididae include:

• Body metallic blue or green, usually with coarse sculpturing.
• Abdomen concave beneath, allowing chrysidids to curl up into a ball when disturbed.

• Most species are external parasites of wasp and bee larvae; one genus attacks sawfly larvae, another genus the eggs of walkingsticks.
• The name "cuckoo wasp" is attributed to the fact that this insect, like the cuckoo bird, lays her eggs in the nest of an unsuspecting host.

• Page 338 and plate 15 in D. J. Borror and R. E. White. 1970. A Field Guide to the Insects. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Co.
• Page 379 in R. G. Bland and H. E. Jaques. 1978. How to Know the Insects, 3rd ed. Dubuque, Iowa: Wm. C. Brown Co. 409 p.
• Page 723 in D. J. Borror, C. A. Triplehorn, and N. F. Johnson. 1989. An Introduction to the Study of Insects, 6th ed. Philadelphia: Saunders College Publishing. 875 p.
• Page 592 in H. V. Daly, J. T. Doyen, and A. H. Purcell III. 1998. Introduction to Insect Biology and Diversity, 2nd ed. Oxford University Press. 680 p.

Links to other web sites

• Ruby Tailed Wasps -- Chrysididae, Gordon's Insect World
• www.chrysis.net -- Contains a gallery with many drawings and photos of chrysidids.