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all pictures © robin williams

revised 7-7-2021

keys to Parasitica

ichneumons, parasitic wasps, cynipids, chalcids

Some of these keys are available new, while others are recently or long out-of-date. Don't despair, there are numbers of entomological book shops out there where there is a ready market and availability for such works, which come and go with time. On-line is another good resource. Finally, the Royal Entomological Society offers free downloads of the out-of-pirint keys.

Hymenoptera, Braconidae; Classification & Biology of Braconid wasps; Vol 7 Part 11; by M.R. Shaw & T. Huddleston; Royal Entomological Society of London; Handbooks for the Identification of British Insects, 1991. 'Only deals with genera and higher classification, but is right up-to-date, with excellent drawings'.

Hymenoptera, Chalcidoidea: (Agaontidae, Leucospidae, Chalcididae, Eucharitidae, Perilampidae, Cleonimidae, Thysanidae); Vol 8 Part 2a; by Ch. Ferrière & G.J.Kerrich; Royal Entomological Society of London; Handbooks for the Identification of British Insects, 1958. 'Keys to species'.

Hymenoptera, Chalcidoidea: Elasmidae & Eulophidae (Elarchertinae, Eulophinae, Euderinae); Vol 8 Part 2b; by R.R. Askew; Royal Entomological Society of London; Handbooks for the Identification of British Insects, 1968. Keys to species.

Hymenoptera, Cynipoidea: Eucoilidae: Vol 8 Part 1b; by J. Quinlan; Royal Entomological Society of London; Handbooks for the identification of British Insects, 1978. 'Keys to genera and species'.

Hymenoptera, Chalcidoidea: Illustrated Key to West-Palearctic Genera of Pteromalidae; by Zdanek Bouček & Jean-Yves Raspluis (in English); INRA Editions, Paris; 1991. 'Extremely well illustrated, with clear keys to genera'.

Hymenoptera, Chalcidoidea: The Pteromalidae of North-Western Europe; by M.W.R. de Vere Graham; Bulletin of the British Museum (Natural History) Entomology, Supplement 16; 1969. 'Comprehensive, but some parts are very difficult to use. A remarkable work in its scholarship and comprehensive coverage'.

Hymenoptera, Cynipoidea: Ibaliidae & Figitidae: Vol 8 Part 1c; by N.D.M. Fergusson; Royal Entomological Society of London; Handbooks for the Identification of British Insects, 1986. 'Keys to species'.

Hymenoptera, Cynipoidea: Keys to families and subfamilies and CYNIPINAE, including galls: Vol 8 Part 1a; by R.D. Eady & J. Quinlan; Royal Entomological Society of London; Handbooks for the Identification of British Insects, 1963. 'Keys to species. Not easy but accurate'.

Hymenoptera, Ichneumonoidea: Pimpline Ichenumon-flies; Vol 7 Part 1; by M.G. Fitton, M.R. Shaw & I.D. Gauld; Royal Entomological Society of London; Handbooks for the Identification of British Insects, 1988. 'Keys to species set out in a modern manner'.

Hymenoptera, Ichneumonoidea; Ichneumonidae: Keys to Families; Vol 7 Part 2 (ai); by J.F. Perkins; Royal Entomological Society of London; Handbooks for the Identification of British Insects, 1959. 'Old-fashoned but still very usable keys to species'.

Hymenoptera, Ichneumonoidea: Keys to Ichneumonidae, sub-families Ichneumoninae 11, Alomyinae, Agriotypinae, & Lycorininae; Vol 7 Part 2 (aii); by J.F. Perkins; Royal Entomological Society of London; Handbooks for the Identification of British Insects, 1960. 'Keys to species'

Hymenoptera, Proctotrupoidea: Diapriidae (Diapriinae): Vol 8 Part 3 (di); by G.E.J. Nixon; Royal Entomological Society of London; Handbooks for the Identification of British Insects, 1957. 'Keys to species'.

Hymenoptera, Proctotrupoidea: Diapriidae (Beltinae): Vol 8 Part 3 (dii); by G.E.J. Nixon; Royal Entomological Society of London; Handbooks for the Identification of British Insects, 1980. 'Keys to species'.

Hymenoptera: Torymidae; Revision of the European Species of Torymus: by M.W.R. de Vere Graham & M.J. Gijswijt (in English); Zoologische Verhandlingen 317; National Museum of Natural History, Leiden, the Netherlands, 1998. 'Extremely accurate, but complex set of keys to these insects found in so many galls and plants. Heavily dependent on minute differences in measurement'.

Ichneumonoidea, Hymenoptera: Pimpline Ichenumon-flies: Vol 7 Part 2b; by I.D. Gauld & P.A. Mitchell; Royal Entomological Society of London; Handbooks for the Identification of British Insects, 1977. 'Keys to species'.

Identification key to the sub-families of Ichneumonidae (Hymenoptera): by Gavin Broad, 2006. 'Under continuous development; devoted to making identification simpler'.

Insecta: Hymenoptera: Keys to the Chalcidoidea of Czechoslovakia; by Oswald Peck, Zdanek Bouček & Augustin Hoffer; Memoirs of the Entomological Society of Canada, No 34, 1964. 'Covers many British species though many are treated to genus level only. Well illustrated, comprehensive and by some of the world’s leading experts. Well worth getting though long out of print'.

Key to identification of adult insects which may emerge from the Rose-bedeguar gall; by Robin Williams & Simon Randolph; BPGS ; 2011. 'Anyone who is interested in joining in the BPGS Rose-bedeguar (Robin’s Pincushion) project will find this invaluable for recognising the cynipids, ichneumons and chalcids that emerge'.

Oak-galls in Britain; by Robin Williams; Vanellus Photofiles, 2011. 'A complete guide to the causers and parasites inhabiting the galls, with keys, full descriptions and measurements'.