What is Braconidae?
{{automatic taxobox | fossil_range = {{fossilrange|Cretaceous|Present}} | image = Braconidae Richard Bartz.jpg | image_caption = ''Atanycolus'' sp. | taxon = Braconidae | authority = [[Latreille]], 1829 | subdivision_ranks = Subfamilies | subdivision = There are 47 subfamilies | synonyms = Stenophasmidae <small>Benoit, 1949</small> }} [[File:Tobacco Hornworm Parasitized by Braconid Wasp.jpg|thumb|230px|Tobacco hornworm caterpillar parasitized by Braconid wasp larvae.]] [[File:Braconid parasitoid wasp Apanteles sp eggs & Lime Butterfly (Papilio demoleus) cat W IMG 2862.jpg|thumb|Braconid ''Apanteles'' cocoons on ''[[Papilio]] demoleus'' caterpillar]] The '''Braconidae''' are a [[Family (biology)|family]] of [[parasitoid]] [[wasp]]s. They are one of the richest families of [[insect]]s: there are between 50,000 and 150,000 species worldwide. The species are grouped into 45 subfamilies and about 1,000 genera. ==Parasitism== Most braconids are [[parasitoid]]s (both external and internal) on other [[insect]]s. Their victims are the [[larvae]] of [[Coleoptera]], [[Diptera]], and [[Lepidoptera]], and also some [[hemimetabolous]] insects such as [[aphid]]s and [[true bugs|bugs]]. Most species kill their hosts, though some cause the hosts to become [[infertility|sterile]] and less active. The endoparasitoid species lay their eggs inside the victim. They have elaborate [[adaptations]] which improve larval survival inside the host. They have [[endosymbiont|endosymbiotic]] [[viruses]] which disable the host [[immune system|immune defences]]. These [[polydnavirus]]es are often used by the wasps instead of a [[venom]] [[cocktail]]. The DNA of the wasp actually has bits which are the templates for the viral particles.<ref>Piper, Ross 2007. ''Extraordinary Animals: an encyclopedia of curious and unusual animals''. Greenwood Press.</ref> A study suggested these arrangements had started about 100 million years ago.<ref> {{Cite journal|last=Drezen|first=Jean-Michel |display-authors = etal|date= 2009|title=Polydnaviruses of Br