Xiphydriidae | |
---|---|
Xiphydria type genus of the family Xiphydriidae | |
Scientific classification | |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Arthropoda |
Class: | Insecta |
Order: | Hymenoptera |
Suborder: | Symphyta |
Superfamily: | Xiphydrioidea |
Family: | Xiphydriidae |
Genera | |
See text |
See text
The Xiphydriidae are a family of wood wasps with the distinct characteristic of having globose heads borne on their long, skinny "necks"; they are also unusual in the habit of boring into dead wood, rather than living trees.
The family is small and ancient, with only around 120 living species in several genera, largely restricted to the Northern Hemisphere (with a few Neotropical species), and a number of fossil taxa.