Most Tasmanian labenines, excepting Labena, have semi-clavate antennae. The ovipositor is very long, being at least 2 times the length of the hind tibiae, except in Labium where it is short and barely projecting. The fore-wings have the areolet present, being pentagonal, rhombic, or tringular with petiole above. Labium species have a distinctive produced face with long, slender madibles, and large hind tarsal claws. Tasmanian species of both Labena and Certonotus have dark antennae contrasted sub-apically with white.
Labenines have a variety of life strategies, including larvae with partial vegetarianism. Labena and Certonotus species are external parasites of wood-boring beetle larvae, such as Buprestidae and Cerambycidae. Labium species attack solitary bees, especially Halictidae, where they consume the host egg or larva first but then complete development on the stored pollen. Poecilocryptus species have been reared from a variety of Eucalyptus and Acacia galls, where it is possible they develop on both gall-larvae and the gall tissue.
Composed of seven Australian genera.
