Xiphydriidae
Xiphydriidae are a family of wood wasps that includes around 150 species. They are located all over the world including North and South America, Australia, Europe, and others.[1] Xiphydriidae larvae are wood borers in dead trees or branches of a range of trees.[2] They are characterized as having long and skinny necks with dome-shaped heads.[3] The oldest fossils of the group are from the mid Cretaceous.[4]
Most of the species of Xiphydriidae have antennae that are filiform.[3] The antennal segments vary in number ranging from 14 to 22.[3] The maxillary and labial palpi shape and length varies by species. They have an occipital carina which is a ridge in the back of the head.[3] The head is somewhat spherical and is shiny.[6]
The pronotum is medially constricted in Xiphydriidae.[6] The defined axillae completely separates the scutum laterally from the mesoscutellum.[7] Parts of the thorax for Xiphydriidae are generally smooth and shiny.[3]
The segment of the abdomen called the gaster can have an orange, red, or yellow coloring pattern.[7]
A study by David R. Smith broke the Xiphydriidae into different groups by their abdomen. The groups were as follows:
The Xiphydriidae larvae phytophagous, meaning bore into dead or weak trees and plants.[7] When they are buried in these trees, they rely on symbiotic fungi for food in the tunnels that they made.[1] The larva either do not have legs or they have vestigial legs. During the larval stage, the head of Xiphydriidae is as long as broad.[8] As a larva, the antenna contains either three or four segments. The first segment of the antenna does not have setae and is not enlarged.[8]
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