The
hymenopteran family
Platygastridae (sometimes incorrectly spelled
Platygasteridae) is a large group (over 1100 species) of exclusively
parasitoid wasps, mostly very small (1-2 mm), black, and shining, with elbowed antennae that have an eight-segmented
flagellum. The wings most often lack venation, though they may have slight fringes of
setae. The two subfamilies are the Platygastrinae and the Sceliotrachelinae. The former subfamily includes some 40 genera, all of which are
koinobionts on
cecidomyiid flies; the wasp oviposits in the host's egg or early instar larva, and the wasp larva completes development when the host reaches the prepupal or pupal stage. The latter subfamily is much smaller, including some 20 genera, and they typically have the rudiments of a vein in the forewings. They are generally
idiobionts, attacking the eggs of either
beetles or
Hemiptera.