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Link to original content: http://www.nhm.ac.uk/chalcidoids
John S. Noyes
Welcome to the wonderful world of chalcidoid wasps!
Described as "gem-like inhabitants of the woodlands by most never seen nor dreamt of", chalcidoids include some of the most beautiful insects on the planet, but are amongst some of the most poorly known. They exhibit amazingly diverse life histories and profoundly influence all types of ecosytems, from rainforests to agriculture. Many species are natural enemies of insect pests and are used instead of pesticides to control them. As many as half a million species may exist, but only about 22,000 are documented, largely because chalcidoids are small to minute in size.The group includes the world's smallest adult insect, the degenerate male of Dicopomorpha echmepterygis, which is only a staggering 0.13mm long.
This database is also available on CD. This allows for faster more flexible searches and includes some facilities not available on this site. See www.taxapad.com
Usage of data from Universal Chalcidoidea Database in scientific publications should be acknowledged using the following format with the year of the most recent update (****) [see bottom left of Search options page under Database last updated]:
Noyes, J.S. ****. Universal Chalcidoidea Database. World Wide Web electronic publication. http://www.nhm.ac.uk/chalcidoids
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