Subfamily of wasps
The Cheloninae are a cosmopolitan subfamily of braconid parasitoid wasps.
Description.
Most Cheloninae are small and uniformly colored. They have a characteristic metasomal carapace formed from the fusion of the first three tergites.
Biology.
They are solitary koinobionts which parasitize Lepidoptera, especially Pyraloidea and Tortricoidea, but also other taxa whose larvae bore in stems, buds or fruits. Chelonines are egg-larval parasitoids, meaning they oviposit into a host egg, but the wasp larvae do not complete development until the caterpillar has hatched and matured. Chelonines carry polydnaviruses which aid in overcoming their hosts' immune system.
Genera.
Genera placed in Cheloninae include:
Previously belonging to the Adeliinae, but now confirmed to be nested within Cheloninae in the tribe Adeliini are:
References.
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External links.
photos on BugGuide.net