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The family Pteromalidae (Hymenoptera: Chalcidoidea) is reviewed with the goal of providing nomenclatural changes and morphological diagnoses in preparation for a new molecular phylogeny and a book on world fauna that will contain keys to identification. Most subfamilies and some tribes of Pteromalidae are elevated to family level or transferred elsewhere in the superfamily. The resulting classification is a compromise, with the aim of preserving the validity and diagnosability of other, well-established families of Chalcidoidea. The following former subfamilies and tribes of Pteromalidae are elevated to family rank: Boucekiidae, Ceidae, Cerocephalidae, Chalcedectidae, Cleonymidae, Coelocybidae, Diparidae, Epichrysomallidae, Eunotidae, Herbertiidae, Hetreulophidae, Heydeniidae, Idioporidae, Lyciscidae, Macromesidae, Melanosomellidae, Moranilidae, Neodiparidae, Ooderidae, Pelecinellidae (senior synonym of Leptofoeninae), Pirenidae, Spalangiidae, and Systasidae. The following subfamilies are transferred from Pteromalidae: Chromeurytominae and Keiraninae to Megastigmidae, Elatoidinae to Neodiparidae, Nefoeninae to Pelecinellidae, and Erotolepsiinae to Spalangiidae. The subfamily Sycophaginae is transferred to Pteromalidae. The formerly incertae sedis tribe Lieparini is abolished and its single genus Liepara is transferred to Coelocybidae. The former tribe Tomocerodini is transferred to Moranilidae and elevated to subfamily status. The former synonym Tridyminae (Pirenidae) is treated as valid. The following former Pteromalidae are removed from the family and, due to phylogenetic uncertainty, placed as incertae sedis subfamilies or genera within Chalcidoidea: Austrosystasinae, Ditropinotellinae, Keryinae, Louriciinae, Micradelinae, Parasaphodinae, Rivasia , and Storeyinae. Within the remaining Pteromalidae, Miscogastrinae and Ormocerinae are confirmed as separate from Pteromalinae, the former tribe Trigonoderini is elevated to subfamily status, the former synonym Pachyneurinae is recognized as a distinct subfamily, and as the senior synonym of Austroterobiinae. The tribe Termolampini is synonymized under Pteromalini, and the tribe Uzkini is synonymized under Colotrechnini. Most former Otitesellinae, Sycoecinae, and Sycoryctinae are retained in the tribe Otitesellini, which is transferred to Pteromalinae, and all other genera of Pteromalinae are treated as Pteromalini. Eriaporidae is synonymized with Pirenidae, with Eriaporinae and Euryischiinae retained as subfamilies. Other nomenclatural acts performed here outside of Pteromalidae are as follows: Calesidae: elevation to family rank. Eulophidae: transfer of Boucekelimini and Platytetracampini to Opheliminae, and abolishment of the tribes Elasmini and Gyrolasomyiini. Baeomorphidae is recognized as the senior synonym of Rotoitidae. Khutelchalcididae is formally excluded from Chalcidoidea and placed as incertae sedis within Apocrita. Metapelmatidae and Neanastatidae are removed from Eupelmidae and treated as distinct families. Eopelma is removed from Eupelmidae and treated as an incertae sedis genus in Chalcidoidea. The following subfamilies and tribes are described as new: Cecidellinae (in Pirenidae), Enoggerinae ( incertae sedis in Chalcidoidea), Erixestinae (in Pteromalidae), Eusandalinae (in Eupelmidae), Neapterolelapinae ( incertae sedis in Chalcidoidea), Solenurinae (in Lyciscidae), Trisecodinae (in Systasidae), Diconocarini (in Pteromalidae: Miscogastrinae), and Trigonoderopsini (in Pteromalidae: Colotrechninae). A complete generic classification for discussed taxa is provided.

New faunistic records of Palaearctic Perilampidae (Hymenoptera: Chalcidoidea) are given, based on newly collected material in South-East Europe, South Korea and specimens from the Natural History Museum in London. Euperilampus Walker, 1871 is recorded for the first time in South Korea, with females of E. sinensis Bouček, 1978 being discovered and described for the first time. The genera Perilampus Latreille, 1809 and Steffanolampus Peck, 1974 are recorded for the first time in Greece. Perilampus noemi Nikol’skaya, 1952, collected on Crete and Salamina islands (Greece), is recorded for the first time in Europe. The following species are new to Greece: P. aeneus (Rossius, 1790), P. laevifrons Dalman, 1822, P. micans Dalman, 1820, P. minutalis Steffan, 1952, P. neglectus Bouček, 1956, P. ruficornis (Fabricius, 1793), P. tristis Mayr, 1905, and S. salicetum (Steffan, 1952). The following species are new to Romania: P. aeneus , P. auratus (Panzer, 1798), P. aureoviridis Walker, 1833, P. chrysonotus Förster, 1859, and P. laevifrons . The following species are new to Turkey: P. auratus , P. cephalotes Bouček, 1956, P. ruficornis , and P. tristis . Additionally, P. cephalotes and P. polypori Bouček, 1971 are new to Austria; P. masculinus Bouček, 1956 is new to Sweden; P. ruficornis is new to South Korea; and P. tristis is new also to Cyprus and Spain. The first host record for P. cephalotes and a new host record for P. laevifrons are also given. A key to 20 European species of Perilampus is included. Each species is diagnosed using macrophotography to facilitate its future recognition. The males of P. intermedius Bouček, 1956 and P. neglectus are described for the first time.

As a preliminary step towards the development of a key to genera of several families of Afrotropical Chalcidoidea, seven new genera in four families are described: Cerocephalidae– Milokoa Mitroiu, gen. nov. (type species: Milokoa villemantae Mitroiu, sp. nov.); Epichrysomallidae– Delvareus Rasplus, Mitroiu & van Noort, gen. nov. (type species: Delvareus dicranostylae Rasplus, Mitroiu & van Noort, sp. nov.); Pirenidae– Afrothopus Mitroiu, gen. nov. (type species: Afrothopus georgei Mitroiu, sp. nov.); Pteromalidae– Kerangania Mitroiu, gen. nov. (type species: Kerangania nuda Mitroiu, sp. nov.), Pilosalis Mitroiu, Rasplus & van Noort, gen. nov. (type species: Pilosalis barbatulus Mitroiu, sp. nov.), Scrobesia Mitroiu & Rasplus, gen. nov. (type species: Scrobesia acutigaster Mitroiu & Rasplus, sp. nov.), and Spiniclava Mitroiu & Rasplus, gen. nov. (type species: Spiniclava baaiensis Mitroiu & Rasplus, sp. nov.). Additionally, the following new species are described: Pilosalis bouceki Mitroiu & Rasplus, sp. nov., Pilosalis eurys Mitroiu & van Noort, sp. nov., Pilosalis minutus Mitroiu, sp. nov., Pilosalis platyscapus Mitroiu, Rasplus & van Noort, sp. nov., Scrobesia pondo Mitroiu, sp. nov., and Spiniclava setosa Mitroiu, sp. nov. All taxa are illustrated and the relationships with similar taxa are discussed. For each non-monotypic genus a key to species is provided.

Mesopolobus Westwood, 1833 consists of about 135 valid species worldwide. After the fundamental monograph of Graham (1969), 12 species have been described from continental Europe and three species have been described from the Canary Islands and Malta. Amongst them, one species, Mesopolobus blascoi Askew, 1994, has been synonymised under Mesopolobus maculipennis (Mercet, 1923). Only eight species have been reported from Bulgaria to date. Here we describe a new species, Mesopolobus askewi sp. nov. and present new data on the Bulgarian chalcidoid fauna obtained by sampling in foliage of the Norway spruce, P. abies . Mesopolobus askewi sp. nov. can be distinguished from the most morphologically similar species, M. longicollis Graham, by the following characters: clypeus with deeper emargination, fore wings with basal vein having complete row of setae, head blue to bluish-green, mesosoma bluish-green to green with coppery reflections, legs after coxae mostly fulvous, only distal one-fifth of meso- and metatibiae yellowish, protarsi with fifth segment yellowish, only tarsal claws fuscous, venation pale testaceous. Furthermore, we identified nine valid species of the family Pteromalidae belonging to four genera – Mesopolobus (three spp.), Pachyneuron (one sp.), Stenomalina (one sp.) and Trichomalus (four spp.) and one species of subfamily Asaphesinae (Chalcidoidea, incertae sedis ), all represented in our samples by many specimens and none having previously been reported as associated with foliage of the Norway spruce. Three of the species are new records for the Bulgarian fauna.

Palaearctic species of the genus Apsilocera Bouček, 1956 are reviewed. Twelve Palaearctic species are recognized based on females, of which eight new species are described: Apsilocera bradburyi Tselikh, Lee & Ku, sp. nov. (Republic of Korea), A. budai Tselikh, Lee & Ku, sp. nov. (Republic of Korea), A. eleganta Tselikh, Haas & Ku, sp. nov. (Republic of Korea, Sweden), A. grandistigma Tselikh, Lee & Ku, sp. nov. (Republic of Korea), A. jejuensis Tselikh, Lee & Ku, sp. nov. (Republic of Korea), A. marina Tselikh, Lee & Ku, sp. nov. (Republic of Korea), A. totoroi Tselikh, Haas & Ku, sp. nov. (Germany, Japan, Sweden), and A. triapitzini Tselikh, Haas & Ku, sp. nov. (Russia, Republic of Korea, Sweden). The female of A. verticillata Bouček, 1956 is described for the first time. Apsilocera dupla Mitroiu & Achterberg, 2013 and A. elongata Mitroiu & Achterberg, 2013 are recorded from the Palaearctic region for the first time. An identification key to females of all Palaearctic species of Apsilocera is given.

Biodiversity data platforms including databases, websites and data repositories underpin conservation efforts by collecting spatiotemporal data of discovered native and alien species and maps of their distributions. Chalcid wasps (Hymenoptera, Chalcidoidea) are one of the most diverse insect groups estimated to include half a million species. Being mostly parasitoids of other arthropods, they have been successfully used as biological control agents against serious agricultural pests worldwide. In Cyprus, only 124 species of chalcid wasps have been recorded, with 53 species being alien to the island. Their true biodiversity is predicted to be much larger because the island is both under-sampled and under-researched. A number of biodiversity data platforms focusing on the biodiversity of Cyprus are currently online; however, an online platform dedicated on the chalcid wasps of Cyprus is lacking. In the framework of the Darwin Plus Fellowship (DPLUS202) “Species richness and biological invasions of Chalcid wasps in Akrotiri Peninsula”, the “Chalcid wasps of Cyprus” website (https://sites.google.com/view/chalcidwaspscyprus) is presented. This online, dynamic database aims to: (1) raise public awareness regarding a rather neglected and yet ecologically important insect group, (2) provide data on the morphology, ecology and biodiversity of Chalcidoidea on Cyprus, as well as (3) promote conservation needs by setting a baseline for the future assessment of both native and alien chalcid wasp species. This online platform will be regularly revised in order to provide an up-to-date, user-friendly digital environment to the scientific community, policy-makers and citizens.

The introduction of the biological control agent Torymus sinensis Kamijo (Hymenoptera, Chalcidoidea, Torymidae) to control the populations of the chestnut gall wasp Dryocosmus kuriphilus Yasumatsu (Hymenoptera, Cynipidae) is considered one of the successful programs in biological control. The species was involved in interspecific hybridisation in Japan and the specimens imported into Europe were derived from this hybrid lineage, showing signs of introgression. The discovery of mitochondrial haplotypes or possible Enolase haplotypes from T. beneficus or of specimens with shorter ovipositor does not necessarily imply that T. beneficus is present in Europe, only that the European specimens are of hybrid origin. Of the native European Torymus species associated with D. kuriphilus , the molecular and morphometric results indicate Torymus notatus (Walker) as the closest species to T. sinensis . The two are part of the same species-group ( cyaneus group), are nested together in the multivariate ratio analysis and are the closest genetically based on all three nuclear markers: Enolase (1.5% divergence), Wingless (2%) and ITS2 (13%). However, on the mitochondrial marker COI the closest species is Torymus rubi (Schrank) at 9.9% divergence. As such, T. notatus is the most likely candidate for accidental interspecific hybridisation if this is to happen in Europe. We provide an illustrated identification key for the European species of Torymus associated with D. kuriphilus , an important but lacking tool for biological control programs.

We evaluated the capacity of selected plants, sown along a processing tomato field margin in central Greece and natural vegetation, to attract beneficial and Hymenoptera pollinating insects and questioned whether they can distract pollinators from crop flowers. Measurements of flower cover and attracted pollinators and beneficial arthropods were recorded from early-May to mid-July, during the cultivation period of the crop. Flower cover was higher in the sown mixtures compared to natural vegetation and was positively correlated with the number of attracted pollinators. The sown Glebionis coronaria, Coriandrum sativum, Anethum graveolens, and Fagopyrum esculentum attracted mainly wild bees, which were the most abundant pollinating insects. In the natural vegetation, Rapistrum rugosum attracted mainly honeybees, while Asteraceae, Convolvulaceae, and Apiaceae species attracted wild bees. Beneficial arthropod abundance and diversity were higher in the sown mixture. Tomato flowers were visited by a small number of wild bees. Their number was not affected by the distance from the field margin, indicating no distraction effect from the sown or natural vegetation flowering plants. Our results suggest that selected flowering plants can improve the field margin habitats for pollinating insects and beneficial arthropods, but more work is needed to elucidate the effect on crop pollination.

Halyomorpha halys is an invasive, widespread stink bug for which only short-term solutions are currently available for pest control worldwide. The need for long-term management solutions for H. halys has driven studies on augmentative and classical biological control of this species, especially by its egg parasitoids. Numerous investigations in Asia, USA, and Europe on native and exotic egg parasitoids of H. halys , and the effects on non-target pentatomids, have improved the global knowledge of parasitoid-host relationships, uncovered new associations, and led to the discovery of new species. This trend continues with Acroclisoides sinicus , a pteromalid that was described in the 1980’s from Asia. In this work we report recent findings of this species in North America and Europe. Moreover, we propose that Acroclisoides solus syn. nov. , a species described originally from the USA, is conspecific with A. sinicus based on morphological and molecular analysis.

A new species, Platygasterharpagoceras Popovici & Veenakumari, is described from India. The most unusual features of this species are the acuminate shape of the last antennomere and the 9-merous antenna in both sexes. The male and female are described and illustrated with brightfield and scanning electron microscopy. We provide a comparative analysis of the acuminate distal antennomere in the superfamily Chalcidoidea, including several genera of Pteromalidae ( Callitula Spinola, Homoporus Thomson, Norbanus Walker, Rhaphitelus Walker).