Pelecinellidae is a small family of chalcidoid wasps, formerly treated as the subfamily Leptofoeninae within Pteromalidae. They, like many small chalcidoids, are brilliantly metallic.
The subfamily contains three genera; Nefoenus, Doddifoenus (with four speciesGupta, A., Gowda, H.K.H.M. & Sankararaman, H. First report of the genus with first host record and description of an enchanting new species of Doddifoenus Bouček (Hymenoptera: Pteromalidae: Leptofoeninae) from India. Biologia 77, 2581–2592 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11756-022-01133-4) and Leptofoenus (with five extant species). The species Doddifoenus wallacei is the largest known chalcidoid wasp, reaching nearly in length (including the ovipositor).Krogmann, L., Burks, R.A. (2009) Doddifoenus wallacei, a new giant parasitoid wasp of the subfamily Leptofoeninae (Chalcidoidea: Pteromalidae), with a description of its mesosomal skeletal anatomy and a molecular characterization. Zootaxa 2194: 21-36.
The first pelecinellid species known from the fossil record, Leptofoenus pittfieldae, was described in 2009 by Michael S. Engel from a specimen found in Dominican amber.
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