An Annotated Checklist of Chalcididae (Hymenoptera: Chalcidoidea) of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, India

Abstract

An annotated checklist of the family Chalcididae (Hymenoptera: Chalcidoidea) is presented for the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, India. Based on the specimen data of the expeditions undertaken during 2012, 2016 and 2024 by the Indian Council of Agricultural Research - National Bureau of Agricultural Insect Resources, Bengaluru (ICAR-NBAIR) team, across the archipelago alongside integrating species data from the literature review, a total of 54 extant species representing ten genera and four subfamilies are documented, thus adding 38 species as new distribution records. The present study indicates Haltichellinae as the dominant subfamily, followed by Brachymeriinae, Dirhininae and Epitraninae, with Brachymeria Westwood, Antrocephalus Kirby, and Hockeria Walker being the most diverse genera. The fauna exhibits strong biogeographic affinities with mainland India and Southeast Asia (Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand and Vietnam).