Checklist of UK Recorded Ormyridae

NEARCTIC (CANADA).-- Yoshimoto (1984) noted that "Members of the family Ormyridae resemble those of the Torymidae in the large three-sided hind coxae, the sessile stigmal vein, and the metallic coloring. They are distinguished by the following characters: Body strongly sclerotized, in particular on the coarsely pitted gaster; gaster of female highly convex and bilaterally compressed, with punctures usually lying in rows on anterior margin of tergites; gaster of male smaller, with punctures coarsely pitted; last tergite, the epipygium, elongate and concealing the short ovipositor."

"Ormyrus Westwood is the only ormyrid in Canada, with three known species. There has been no revisionary study in this group. Peck et al. (1964) give keys to the Czechoslovakian species."

"Members of this group are parasitic in galls of cynipids (Hymenoptera) and pteromalids (Hymenoptera)."

PALEARCTIC (EUROPEAN former USSR).-- Zerova (1978/1987), as translated from the Russian, described this family as "A very small family of chalcids, closely related to the family Torymidae, which ormyrids resemble in structure of markedly enlarged triquetrous coxae. However, all ormyrids differ notably from torymids in shape and sculpture of abdomen, since their tergites boast an intricate serrated sculpture, and the ovipositor is usually short. Body length usually 2.0 to 4.0 mm, rarely reaching 5.0 mm. Color predominantly blue-green, rarely green with yellow tone; body with vivid metallic sheen. Head distinctly narrows on lower side. Antennae similar in females and males; funicle with eight segments, clava with three segments. Because the first one to two or even three segments of the funicle are much smaller than the subsequent segments, the funicle appears to have one to three rings, which are always large [sic] and pubescent. Thorax convex, as though humped. Parapsidal grooves barely discernible. Median segment highly raised. Abdominal petiole very short, almost negligible. Larvae parasitize gall-forming species of Hymenoptera and Diptera. The family includes one genus and the key 11 species."

AFRICA.-- Prinsloo (1980) discussed the African Ormyridae, which is poorly represented in that region, with possibly only one genus, Ormyrus.

Relationships & Diagnosis.-- Prinsloo (1980) stated that "The ormyrids are closely related to, and have been treated as a subfamily of, the Torymidae. As in most groups of the Torymidae, the ormyrids have the hind coxa enlarged, more than twice as long as the fore coxa, and the fore wing with a very long marginal vein and relatively short postmarginal and stigmal veins. Generally, they are however easily distinguished from the Torymidae, and especially the Toryminae, by the coarsely sculptured gaster, and in the female by the absence of a long ovipositor."

"Usually of moderate size, about 3 mm in length; body dark with a strong metallic refringence; body convex, robust, strongly sclerotized; antenna short, in female with two ring-segments, six funicle and three club segments; mesoscutum with parapsidal sulci present but shallow; gaster in female characteristically sculptured with transverse rows of pits, subconical with elongate distal tergite; ovipositor at most slightly exserted caudally; fore wing with marginal vein extremely long in relation to the short stigmal and postmarginal veins; hind coxa enlarged, plainly longer than fore coxa; tarsi five-segmented."

Biology. "Nothing is known about the biology of this family in Africa. Non-African species are known to be parasitic in galls of other Chalcidoidea, Cynipoidea and Diptera. In South Africa, species of Ormyrus are sometimes reared from the pods of Acacia species.

INDIA & ENVIRONS.-- The Ormyridae was considered by Subba-Rao (1988) to be a very small family with only a few genera and dozens of species. All known species were stated to be from galls and were presumably parasitic on the gall-making Diptera and cynipids. Subba-Rao (1988) noted that "Ormyridae can be distinguished from the closely resembling Torymidae by the following characters: body highly sclerotised and brightly metallic; antennae short; notaular lines complete but shallow; gaster hard, non-collapsing, mostly with characteristic sculpture; female gaster elongated, pointed at tip, but the ovipositor not protruding."

Classification.-- "Mani (19830 included the genus Ormyrus under Ormyrinae and placed it as a subfamily of Torymidae. Nikol'skaya (1952), Peck et al. (1964) and Graham (1969) accepted the group as a distinct family from Torymidae and Pteromalidae to which families some authors referred to. Burks (In Krombein et al. 1979) still considered Ormyrus as a pteromalid and placed the genus under the subfamily Ormyrinae. However, it is now accepted that Ormyridae is a distinct and valid family name."

AUSTRALASIA.-- Bou…ek (1988) noted that "This group is here represented by the genus Ormyrus which has at times been divided into two or three genera on minor characters. It is so distinctive... that it was classified as a different family as early as 1856 (Förster, 1856: 19, 22-23), but later often as a subfamily of Torymidae. Recently it was placed as a subfamily of Pteromalidae by Riek (1970: 921). Although the reasons were never published, it seems that it was based mainly on the tuberculiform short cerci. However, this character undergoes changes with every separate group in which the gaster gets more heavily sclerotized, whilst the cerci stay elongate on gasters with weak sclerotization and especially if the ovipositor and its sheaths (valvulae) are extended. On the other hand Ormyridae exhibit several torymoid characters, including the occipital carina and the venation, apart from a number of features which are more difficult to assess. In conclusion I think that the group is closely related to Torymidae, as I suggested in 1981 (Boucek, Watsham & Wiebes, p. 158). The resemblance between Ormyrus and the South African Asparagobius Mayr may mean that Asparagobius also belongs to Ormyridae instead of Pteromalidae, but the matter needs further study."

"Apart from Ormyrus the only other genus is Ormyrulus Boucek based on O. gibbus Boucek from India, developing in small galls on mango leaves (Boucek, 1986)."

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