A detailed study of ovipositor morphology in Ctenopelmatinae (Ichneumonidae) is provided and used to assess the evolutionary patterns of the Ophioniformes, Ctenopelmatinae, and more specifically the tribe Pionini (Ctenoplmatinae). Ovipositor morphology also provided a foundation for a generic revision of Hodostates Foerster, 1869. Monophyly of Ophioniformes, as defined by Gauld and Wahl, is not supported by research provided in this thesis. Morphological characters previously used to unite Ophioniformes are also found in non-ophioniform subfamilies, leaving the ophioniformes without a morphological synapomorphy. Research on the tribe Pionini, as currently defined by Townes, led to the hypothesis that pionines are polyphyletic with likely evolutionary affinities including, but not limited to, Mesoleiini and Perilissini. The genus Hodostates Foerster, 1869 has been revised. Work presented in this thesis is the first comprehensive comparison of both Nearctic and European species. This study resulted in the transfer of Hodostates schaffneri Hinz, 1996b to Lethades Davis.

The Acentropinae represents a species-rich crambid group with more than 700 species distributed in all the zoogeographic regions except Antarctica, and the highest diversity occurs in the Oriental, Indo-Autralian and Neotropical regions. Most caterpillars of Acentropinae are widely adapted to feed on vegetation in different types of aquatic environments, such as ponds, streams and rivers. However, some of them are known to utilize mosses on land. Therefore the evolutionary relationships between the terrestrial and aquatic lineage become intriguing. The genus Paracymoriza Warren, 1890, is a moderate-sized acentropine genus comprising 39 species ranging throughout southeast and east Asia. Historically the genus was often confused with many unrelated genera due to the superficial resemblance in wing maculation, which is termed the ¡§nymphuliform wing pattern¡¨. The genus is currently divided into 8 species groups, with 5 of them known having aquatic immature stages, while the others having terrestrial immatures. The fact that Paracymoriza includes both truly aquatic and terrestrial species represents a unique case for the Lepidoptera, thus making the monophyly of the genus doubtful. In the present study, a phylogenetic hypothesis Paracymoriza was reconstructed by using morphological characters including wing pattern and immature stage characters obtained from 63 species representing 25 acentropine genera. The results suggest that Paracymoriza is monophyletic. The genus is composed of two major clades: one aquatic, and the other terrestrial. It suggests that Paracymoriza represents a unique example with amphibious immature stage in the Lepidoptera although the tree support values of this phylogenetic hypothesis remains relatively weak due to large amount of homoplasious characters.

The following morphological structures of the ovipositor of Homolobus truncator (Say) (Hymenoptera : Braconidae) are described and hypotheses of their functions are proposed: a series of sharp ridges on the distal surface of the notch helps maintain a grip on the inner surface of the host cuticle; the sperone directs eggs away from the inner surface of the ventral valves; a flap-like structure on each ventral valve covers the portal through which eggs pass; the valvillus maintains position of the egg within the ovipositor and acts against the egg to force it out; ctenidia on the inner surface of the ventral valves move eggs along the basal half of the egg canal; recurved barbs at the apex of each ventral valve hook into the inner surface of the host cuticle to maintain purchase while the thick dorsal valve is inserted into the host. The tribe Maxfischeriini (Hymenoptera : Braconidae) is emended to subfamily status based on morphological and biological evidence. A novel egg morphology is described for Maxfischeria, representing a new life history strategy among Braconidae. Based on egg and ovipositor morphology, I suggest that Maxfischeria is a proovigenic, koinobiont ectoparasitoid. Five new species of Maxfischeria are described (M. ameliae sp. nov., M. anic sp. nov. M. briggsi sp. nov., M. folkertsorum sp. nov., and M. ovumancora sp. nov.). A phylogenetic analysis of morphological and molecular characters for the braconid subfamily Euphorinae is presented. The results imply a revised classification that recognizes 9 tribes and 44 genera. Proposed changes include: Meteorus and Zele are recognized as Meteorinae. Planitorus and Mannokeraia are included among Euphorinae and comprise the tribe Planitorini. Cosmophorini, Euphorini, Helorimorphini, Perilitini, Leiophron, and Perilitus are redefined. The following synonyms are proposed: Cryptoxilonini and Dinocampini with Cosmophorini; Myiocephalini and Proclithrophorini with Perilitini; Myiocephalus with Microctonus; Bracteodes, Falcosyntretus, Sculptosyntretus, Syntretellus, Syntretomorpha, and Syntretoriana with Syntretus and are recognized as subgenera; Perilitus (Townesilitus) with Microctonus and are recognized as a subgenus. Transitions in host associations are examined with ancestral state reconstruction. Some ambiguous nodes in the reconstruction are reconciled by examining the overlap in host associations.

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