Braconidae
This website provides a directory for diagnostic information and updates of scientific publications relating to Braconid parasitoid wasps in New Zealand.
The Braconidae is a very large family of parasitic wasps , with an estimated 30 000 species in the world. Braconids are parasitoids and attack a wide range of insect hosts, most frequently the larvae and pupae of Coleoptera, Diptera, Hemiptera, Lepidoptera.
Although New Zealand is missing many of the subfamilies found overseas, braconids occur in all virtually all terrestrial habitats and are often abundant and diverse. There are >100 taxa named at present, but estimates put the total diversity at 300-500 species. Currently, the most species-rich subfamilies in New Zealand are the Microgastrinae, Euphorinae, Alysiinae, and Aphidiinae, but this may change as more research is conducted.