Chalcidoidea

Most Hymenoptera are likely to be chalcid wasps (Superfamily: Chalcidoidea). Chalcidoidea (jewel wasps) are among the most species rich, ecologically important, and biologically diverse groups of terrestrial organisms. Their diversity is staggering, with more than 500,000 species thought to exist.

These minute wasps (mostly 1–2 mm in size) are abundant and common in almost every habitat. The smallest of these wasps are smaller than a typical single-celled organism (much smaller than the dot at the end of this sentence), and yet the adults can fly, mate, locate their hosts, deposit their eggs, and as larvae, consume their insect hosts.