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Pimplinae

Pimplinae are a worldwide subfamily of the parasitic wasp family Ichneumonidae.

Last revised
Jun 1, 2026
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Pimplinae
Apechthis rufata
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Clade: Pancrustacea
Class: Insecta
Order: Hymenoptera
Family: Ichneumonidae
Subfamily: Pimplinae
Wesmael, 1845

Pimplinae are a worldwide subfamily of the parasitic wasp family Ichneumonidae.123

Pimplinae are parasitoids of Holometabola, often the pupae of Lepidoptera. Various species parasitize the egg sacs and adults of spiders.4 Those species that parasitize eggs are ectoparasitic idiobionts. Females perforate the silk of the egg sacs and lay their egg(s) directly onto the surface of the eggs within them. After hatching, the parasitoid larvae feed externally on the eggs and kill most of the eggs in the process.5

Pimplinae are generally sturdy black insects with orange markings. The first tergite is box-like with the spiracle anterior to the middle.

Tribes and genera

The Pimplinae consists of four tribes and includes:

Delomeristini

Authority: Hellén, 1915

Tribe Ephialtini

Authority: Hellén, 1915

Pseudopimpla genus-group

  • Pseudopimpla Habermehl, 1917

Alophosternum genus-group

  • Alophosternum Cushman, 1933
  • Pachymelos Baltazar, 1961

Camptotypus genus-group

  • Camptotypus Kriechbaumer, 1889
  • Clydonium Townes, 1966
  • Hemipimpla Saussure, 1892
  • Odontopimpla Cameron, 1886
  • Parvipimpla Gauld, 1984
  • Zonopimpla Ashmead, 1900

Ephialtes genus-group

  • Afrephialtes Benoit, 1963
  • Anastelgis Townes, 1960
  • Calliephialtes Ashmead, 1900
  • Dolichomitus Smith, 1877
  • Endromopoda Hellén, 1939
  • Ephialtes Gravenhorst, 1829
  • Exeristes Förster, 1869
  • Exestuberis Wang & Yue, 1995
  • Flavopimpla Betrem, 1932
  • Fredegunda Fitton, Shaw & Gauld, 1988
  • Leptopimpla Townes, 1961
  • Liotryphon Ashmead, 1900
  • Paraperithous Haupt, 1954
  • Pimplaetus Seyrig, 1932
  • Scambus Hartig, 1838
  • Townesia Ozols, 1962
  • Umanella Gauld, 1991
  • Xanthephialtes Cameron, 1906
  • Xanthophenax Saussure, 1892

Polysphincta genus-group

Tromatobia genus-group

Pimplini

Authority: Wesmael, 1845

Theroniini

Authority: Cushman & Rohwer, 1920

  • Augerella Gupta, 1962
  • Epitheronia Gupta, 1962
  • Neotheronia Krieger, 1899
  • Nomosphecia Gupta, 1962
  • Parema Gupta, 1962
  • Theronia Holmgren, 1859
  • Brachyzapus nikkoensis depositing egg on a spider
    Brachyzapus nikkoensis depositing egg on a spider
  • Zatypota albicoxa depositing egg on a spider
    Zatypota albicoxa depositing egg on a spider
  • Pimpla rufipes
    Pimpla rufipes
  • Dolichomitus sp.
    Dolichomitus sp.
  • Scambus buolianae
    Scambus buolianae
  • Exeristes roborator
    Exeristes roborator
References

References

  1. Oehlke, J. (1967). "Westpaläarktische Ichneumonidae 1, Ephialtinae". Hymenopterorum Catalogus (new edition). 2: 1–49.
  2. Townes, Henry K. (1969). "Genera of Ichneumonidae, Part 1 (Ephialtinae (Pimplinae), Tryphoninae, Labiinae, Adelognathinae, Xoridinae, Agriotypinae)". Memoirs of the American Entomological Institute. 11: 1–300.
  3. Broad, Gavin (2006). "Identification key to the subfamilies of Ichneumonidae" (PDF). London: Natural History Museum. pp. 1–38. Archived from the original on 2009-05-30. Retrieved 2018-03-24.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  4. Takasuka, Keizo; Fritzén, Niclas R.; Tanaka, Yoshihiro; Matsumoto, Rikio; Maeto, Kaoru; Shaw, Mark R. (2018). "The changing use of the ovipositor in host shifts by ichneumonid ectoparasitoids of spiders (Hymenoptera, Ichneumonidae, Pimplinae)". Parasite. 25: 17. doi:10.1051/parasite/2018011. ISSN 1776-1042. PMC 5873220. PMID 29589827. Open access icon
  5. Fei, Minghui; Gols, Rieta; Harvey, Jeffrey A. (2023-01-23). "The Biology and Ecology of Parasitoid Wasps of Predatory Arthropods". Annual Review of Entomology. 68 (1): 109–128. doi:10.1146/annurev-ento-120120-111607. hdl:20.500.11755/8f020f3d-b12d-4d23-8c07-eae6302721b8. ISSN 0066-4170. PMID 36198401. S2CID 252736581.
  6. Klopfstein, Seraina; Langille, Barbara; Spasojevic, Tamara; Broad, Gavin R.; Cooper, J. B.; Austin, Andrew D.; Niehuis, Oliver (2018). "Hybrid capture data unravel a rapid radiation of pimpliform parasitoid wasps (Hymenoptera: Ichneumonidae: Pimpliformes)". Systematic Entomology. 44 (2): 361–383. doi:10.1111/syen.12333. hdl:10141/622806.
External links