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  • SITES
  • SPECIES
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HYMENOPTERA

Bethylidae Förster, 1856

The family includes 3208 species, in Hong Kong at least 16 species.


Bethylinae Förster, 1856

Mesitiinae Kieffer, 1914

Pristocerinae Dalla Torre 1898

Scleroderminae Kieffer, 1914

Biology

Bethylids are known to be ectoparasitoids of beetle and moth larvae in soil, wood and seeds. They display broad range of behavioural and ecological traits, from purely solitary to gregarious. Some species display parental care behaviour, grooming or guarding their brood. Bethylids have been succesfuly used in biocontrol programs.

Map

Not provided

Sources

 Amante, M., Schöller, M., Suma, P. & Russo, A. 2017. Bethylids attacking stored-product pests: an overview. Entomologia Experimentalis et Applicata 163: 251–264. https://doi.org/10.1111/eea.12587


Argaman, Q. 1988. A new subfamily of Bethylidae allied to Pristocerinae (Hymenoptera). Bollettino della Società Entomologica Italiana 120(2): 139–152.


Argaman, Q. 2003. Generic synopsis of Mesitinae [sic] Kieffer, 1914 (Hymenoptera: Bethylidae). Entomofauna 24: 61–96.


Azevedo, C.O., Alencar, I.D.C.C.A., Ramos, M.S., Barbosa, D.N., Colombo, W.D., Vargas, J.M.R. & Lim, J. 2018. Global guide of the flat wasps (Hymenoptera, Bethylidae). Zootaxa 4489:1–294. https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.4489.1.1


Barthélémy C & Guénard B. 2025. An annotated and illustrated checklist of Hong Kong aculeate wasps (Hymenoptera: Apoid wasps; Pompilioidea; Scolioidea; Thynnoidea; Tiphioidea; Vespoidea; Chrysidoidea). Insecta Mundi 1115: 1–230.


Brothers, D. J. 1975. Phylogeny and classification of the aculeate Hymenoptera, with special reference to Mutillidae. Univ. Kansas Sci. Bull. 50: 483–648.


Brothers, D.J. & Carpenter, J.M. 1993. Phylogeny of Aculeata: Chrysidoidea and Vespoidea (Hymenoptera). Journal of Hymenoptera Research 2: 227–304.


Carpenter, J. M. 1986. Cladistics of the Chrysidoidea (Hymenoptera). Jour. New York Ent. Soc. 94: 303–330.


Carpenter, J. M. 1990. On Brother's aculeate phylogeny. Sphecos 19: 9–12.


de Dalla Torre, C.G. 1898. Bethylinae, Pristocerinae. In Catalogus Hymenopterorum hucusque descriptorum Systematicus et synonymicus. Chalcididae et Proctotrupidae 5: 1–598


Finnamore, A.T. & Brothers, D.J. 1993. Superfamily Chrysidoidea (pp. 130-160). In GOULET, H. & HUBER, J. (eds). Hymenoptera of the World: an identification guide to families. Research Branch, Agriculture Canada, Ottawa, Canada, 668 pp.


Gordh, G. & Móczár, L. 1990. A catalog of the World Bethylidae (Hymenoptera: Aculeata). Mem. Amer. Ent. Inst. 46: 1–364.


Lanes, G.O. & Azevedo, C.O. 2008. Phylogeny and Taxonomy of Sclerodermini (Hymenoptera, Bethylidae, Epyrinae). Insect Systematics and Evolution 39: 55–86. 


Móczár, L., 1970. Mesitinae of world with new genera and species. I. (Hymenoptera: Bethylidae). Acta Zool. Acad. Sci. Hung. 16: 175–203.


Móczár, L., 1970. Mestinae of the world, genera Sulcomesitius Móczár and Metrionotus Móczár. II. (Hymenoptera: Bethylidae). Acta Zool. Acad. Scien. Hung. 16(3-4): 409–451.


Móczár L. 1974. On another new species of the genus Metrionotus Möczär (Hymenoptera: Bethylidae: Mesitinae). Acta Biologica Szegediensis 20(1-4): 173–177.


Polaszek, P. & Krombein, K. V. 1994. The genera of Bethylinae (Hymenoptera: Bethylidae). Journal of Hymenoptera Research 3: 91–105.


Santos BF, Colombo WD, Murray EA, Brasy SG, Azevedo CO. 2024. Insights from the first phylogenomic analysis of flat

wasps (Hymenoptera, Bethylidae) reveal two new subfamilies. Cladistics 1–16. https://doi.org/10.1111/cla.12594


Terayama, M. 1995a. The phylogeny of the bethylid wasp tribe Sclerodermini (Hymenoptera, Bethylidae). Proceedings of the Japanese Society of Systematic Zoology 54: 65–73.


Terayama, M. 1995b. Phylogeny and distribution of the subfamily Bethylinae (Hymenoptera: Chrysidoidea: Bethylidae). Bulletin of the Biogeographical Society of Japan 50: 1–9.


Terayama, M. 1996. The phylogeny of the bethylid wasp subfamily Pristocerinae (Hymenoptera, Bethylidae). Jpn. Jour. Ent. 64: 587–601.


Terayama, M. 2003. Phylogenetic systematics of the family Bethylidae (Insecta: Hymenoptera) Part I. Higher classification. The Academic Reports of the Faculty of Engineering of Tokyo Polytechnic University 26: 1–15.


Terayama, M. 2004. Descriptions of new taxa and distribution records of the family Bethylidae (Insecta, Hymenoptera) I. Subfamily Pristocerinae. The Academic Reports of the Faculty of Engineering of Tokyo Polytechnic University 27: 22–38.


Turner, R. E. 1917. New species of Hymenoptera in the British Museum. Trans. Entomol. Soc. London 65: 53–84.


Turner, R. E. 1928. New Hymenoptera of the family Bethylidae. Ann. Mag. Nat. Hist. 31: 129–152.


Turner, R. E. & Waterston, J. 1917. Notes on the hymenopterous families Bethylidae and Rhopalosomatidae. Ann. Mag. Nat. Hist. 20: 101–108.


Turner, R. E. 1928. New Hymenoptera of the family Bethylidae. Annals and Magazine of Natural History 1: 129–152.

 

Vargas, J.M., Colombo, W.D. & Azevedo, C.O. 2020. Revisited phylogeny of Scleroderminae (Hymenoptera: Bethylidae) reveals a plastic evolutionary history. Arthropod Systematics & Phylogeny 78(2): 217–243. https://doi.org/10.26049/ASP78-2-2020-02


Funded by the Environment and Conservation Fund.  Alexey Reshchikov et al (2026) Hong Kong Wasps Project (HKWP). Retrieved at https://www.hkwasps.com
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