Proctotrupids

The Proctotrupidae are principally internal parasites of the larvae of Coleoptera, including those of Carabidae, Staphylinidae, Nitidulidae, Erotylidae, Elateridae, Coccinellidae and Curculionidae. However, certain forms are said to have been reared from larvae of the dipterous family Mycetophilidae; and there is also what appears to be a reliable record (Newman, 1867) of the rearing of a species of Phaenoserphus from a centipede of the genus Lithobius.

Proctotrupidae is a family of wasps in the superfamily Proctotrupoidea of the order Hymenoptera. There are about 400 species in more than 30 genera in Proctotrupidae, found throughout most of the world.

Proctotrupidae are small parasitoid wasps, using beetle larvae and fungus gnats as hosts. They typically have a body length of 5 to 8 mm, but species may range from 3 to 15 mm.