In evolutionary ecology, a parasitoid is an organism that lives in close association with its host at the host's expense, eventually resulting in the death of the host. Parasitoidism is one of six major evolutionary strategies within parasitism, distinguished by the fatal prognosis for the host, which makes the strategy close to predation.
The rove beetles are a family (Staphylinidae) of beetles, primarily distinguished by their short elytra that typically leave more than half of their abdominal segments exposed. With over 66,000 species in thousands of genera, the group is the largest family in the beetle order, and one of the largest families of organisms. It is an ancient group, with fossilized rove beetles known from the Triassic, 200 million years ago, and possibly even earlier if the genus Leehermania proves to be a member of this family. They are an ecologically and morphologically diverse group of beetles, and commonly encountered in terrestrial ecosystems.
The devil's coach-horse beetle is a species of beetle belonging to the large family of the rove beetles (Staphylinidae). It was originally included in the genus Staphylinus in 1764, and some authors and biologists still use this classification.
The Chrysomelinae are a subfamily of leaf beetles (Chrysomelidae), commonly known as broad-bodied leaf beetles or broad-shouldered leaf beetles. It includes some 3,000 species around the world.
Delia flies are members of the Anthomyiidae family within the superfamily Muscoidae. The identification of different species of Delia can be very difficult for non-specialists as the diagnostic characteristics used for immature and/or female specimens may be inconsistent between species. Past taxonomic keys were not as comprehensive in their identification of Delia specimens; they were either too reliant on genetic characteristics, focused solely on a specific life stage, or were focused only on certain species. However current taxonomic keys aim to be more thorough by not only including morphological diagnostics for males, females, and immature specimens of various species, but also their genetic make-up or molecular barcode.
Creophilus maxillosus, the hairy rove beetle, is a species of rove beetle.
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Anthony Adrian Allen was a British entomologist who published several hundred scientific papers, in particular on the Coleoptera (beetles) of the British Isles. He was active for much of the middle and late 20th century. He formed a bridge between the great entomologists of last century, and the present generation, many of whom benefitted from his knowledge and guidance.
Lebia grandis is a ground beetle in the family Carabidae found in North America. It is a specialist predator on the eggs and larvae of Colorado potato beetles, and its larvae are obligate parasitoids of Colorado potato beetle pupae.
Creophilus is a genus of beetles of the Staphylinidae family, subfamily Staphylininae. It includes some of the largest rove beetle species, up to 30 mm long. Almost all species live primarily on carrion and feed on maggots, and so are of interest to forensic entomologists estimating the age of a corpse. The European species C. maxillosus was described in the Systema Naturae, and has been widely studied, but some other species in the genus are little known.
Paederus is a genus of small beetles of the family Staphylinidae. With 622 valid species assigned by 1987 to the subtribe Paederina, and with all but 148 within Paederus itself, the genus is large. Due to toxins in the hemolymph of some species within this genus, it has given its name to paederus dermatitis, a characteristic skin irritation that occurs if one of the insects is crushed against skin. That name, Paederus dermatitis, is a poor choice because, decades earlier, the affliction had been called dermatitis linearis, a name that works in all languages, not just English, because of its Latin origin; the name Paederus dermatitis is also inappropriate because it has shown to be caused by (a) only a few species of the genus Paederus, but (b) also a few species that belong to closely related genera within the subtribe Paederina. A scholarly paper in 2002 suggested that a Paederus species could have been responsible for some of the ten Plagues of Egypt described in the Bible's Book of Exodus.
Diptera is an order of winged insects commonly known as flies. Diptera, which are one of the most successful groups of organisms on Earth, are very diverse biologically. None are truly marine but they occupy virtually every terrestrial niche. Many have co-evolved in association with plants and animals. The Diptera are a very significant group in the decomposition and degeneration of plant and animal matter, are instrumental in the breakdown and release of nutrients back into the soil, and whose larvae supplement the diet of higher agrarian organisms. They are also an important component in food chains.
Dalotia coriaria, the greenhouse rove beetle, is a species of staphylinid rove beetle in the subfamily Aleocharinae. It is used as a predatory biological control agent for the management of pest insects.
Aleochara sculptiventris is a species of rove beetle in the family Staphylinidae. It is found in North America.
Aleochara sulcicollis is a species of rove beetle in the family Staphylinidae. It is found in Central America, North America, and South America. Its larval stage is associated with macroalgae as the species is a parasitoid of kelp flies.
Aleochara littoralis is a species of rove beetle in the family Staphylinidae. It is found in North America.
Aleochara curtula is a species of rove beetle in the family Staphylinidae. It is found in Europe and Northern Asia and North America.
Aleochara lata is a species of rove beetle in the family Staphylinidae. It is found in Europe and Northern Asia and North America.
Aleochara pacifica is a species of rove beetle in the family Staphylinidae. It is found in Central America and North America.
Creophilus oculatus or devil's coach horse is a species of large carrion-feeding rove beetle endemic to New Zealand.
