Tiphiidae
Tiphiidae
[tə′fī·ə‚dē]Tiphiidae
a family of stinging insects of the order Hymenoptera. The offspring are fed the larvae of lamellicorn beetles. Tiphia femorata is common in the south of the European part of the USSR. It has a black, shiny body measuring 9–12 mm in length; it parasitizes the larvae of Amphimallon solstitialis. Two tiphiid species, Tiphia vernalis and Tiphia popillivora, were imported into the USA between 1920 and 1936 from Japan and China; they are the principal natural enemies of the Japanese beetle (Popillia japonica).