Doryctinae

The Doryctinae or doryctine wasps are a large subfamily of braconid parasitic wasps (Braconidae). Numerous genera and species formerly unknown to science are being described every year. This subfamily is presumably part of a clade containing otherwise any or all of the Alysiinae, Braconinae, Gnamptodontinae, Opiinae and Ypsistocerinae, and might be most closely related to the last one of these; whether the Rogadinae are also part of this group is not known some Doryctinae are known to form galls on plants with certainty. Doryctine wasps are found across almost the entire size range of Braconidae; some species are quite large by the family's standards (25mm), and even in the small species (1mm) the head is massive and the body, while slender, remarkably elongated. Also, doryctines tend to be small-winged; many have very much reduced wings, and numerous species in this family are unable to fly or even lack wings entirely. They have a characteristic row of stout spines running lengthwise along the foreleg tibia, and a cyclostome depression above the mandibles. Doryctinae have a worldwide distribution (except the polar regions). Some Doryctinae are known to form galls on plants similar to the Mesostoinae (a small subfamily endemic to Australia). Some species in the genus Allorhogas feed on seeds. The large majority of doryctines are idobiont ectoparasitoids of the larvae of wood-boring beetles – such as jewel beetles (Buprestidae). Some species parasitize lepidopteran or symphytan larvae. The host is paralyzed by venom injected through the female's ovipositor before an egg is laid. The spines present on the foreleg of the adult enable it to escape from the narrow wooden tunnels of the hosts. Doryctines have been used to control pests in Europe, Australia, and North America. Several doryctine wasps are of economic importance as biocontrol agents in Australia against eucalyptus pests. The species Spathius agrili has been introduced to the United States from China in an effort to control the Emerald ash borer. Genera placed in the Doryctinae include: