Our research focuses primarily on the systematics, phylogeny and biogeography of Chalcidoidea (Hymenoptera). Chalcidoid wasps rank numerically among the largest groups of insects, with estimates of as many as 500,000 species; however, the fauna is poorly known. Most are specialized parasites, and the majority of successful biological control projects have utilized these minute wasps to achieve partial or complete control of insect pests.