This is a small family of only 58 described species but with representatives
in all the major zoogeographical regions, including Australasia. No species
are known from Oceania but, as species of Odinia are represented
in collections from Christmas I (Indian Ocean) and the Galapagos Is (eastern
Pacific), the family seems to be capable of an insular existence.
No species have been described from the Australasian Region, although the
family has been recorded from Australia by Colless & McAlpine (1970:
726, 1974: 95); at least 5 undescribed species are known to me from the
region. The Australasian species are the subject of a paper in preparation.
Odiniid life histories are virtually unknown for all but a few species of Odinia, and no biological information is available for the majority
of species in the family. Where known, odiniid larvae live in the tunnels
of wood-boring larvae of beetles, Lepidoptera, and flies and function as
scavengers or even predators of the host larvae. One species, Turanodinia
coccidarum Stackelberg, has been reared from the egg masses of Pseudococcus
comstocki Kuwana.
Refs.: Prado (1973, key world gen.), Cogan (1975, host associations).
ODINIA Robineau-Desvoidy, 1830: 648. Type species: Odinia trinotata Robineau-Desvoidy, 1830 [= Milichia maculata Meigen, 1830], des.
Rondani, 1875a: 167.
Unidentified sp.--Australia (Colless & McAlpine, 1974: 95).
TRAGINOPS Coquillett, 1900b: 429. Type species: Traginops irrorata Coquillett, 1900, orig. des.
Unidentified sp.--Australia (Colless & McAlpine, 1974: 95).
This page last revised 17 August 1996