Related Research Articles
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 Ichneumonidae, also known as ichneumon wasps, ichneumonid wasps, ichneumonids, or Darwin wasps, are a family of parasitoid wasps of the insect order Hymenoptera. They are one of the most diverse groups within the Hymenoptera with roughly 25,000 species described as of 2016. However, this likely represents less than a quarter of their true richness as reliable estimates are lacking, along with much of the most basic knowledge about their ecology, distribution, and evolution. It is estimated that there are more species in this family than there are species of birds and mammals combined. Ichneumonid wasps, with very few exceptions, attack the immature stages of holometabolous insects and spiders, eventually killing their hosts. They thus fulfill an important role as regulators of insect populations, both in natural and semi-natural systems, making them promising agents for biological control.
The Braconidae are a family of parasitoid wasps. After the closely related Ichneumonidae, braconids make up the second-largest family in the order Hymenoptera, with about 17,000 recognized species and many thousands more undescribed. One analysis estimated a total between 30,000 and 50,000, and another provided a narrower estimate between 42,000 and 43,000 species.
The Mymaridae, commonly known as fairyflies or fairy wasps, are a family of chalcidoid wasps found in temperate and tropical regions throughout the world. The family contains around 100 genera with 1,400 species.
Parasitoid wasps are a large group of hymenopteran superfamilies, with all but the wood wasps (Orussoidea) being in the wasp-waisted Apocrita. As parasitoids, they lay their eggs on or in the bodies of other arthropods, sooner or later causing the death of these hosts. Different species specialise in hosts from different insect orders, most often Lepidoptera, though some select beetles, flies, or bugs; the spider wasps (Pompilidae) exclusively attack spiders.
The Aphidiinae are a subfamily of tiny parasitoid wasps that use aphids as their hosts. Several species have been used in biological control programs of various aphids.
The Sierolomorphidae are a family of 13 extant species of wasps, in the genera Sierolomorpha and Proscleroderma, mostly found in the Northern Hemisphere. They are rare and very little is known of their biology. A fossil species Loreisomorpha nascimbenei has also been placed in the family.
Cardiocondyla elegans is an ant species in the genus Cardiocondyla found in the Mediterranean region.
Calliscelio is a parasitoid wasp genus which contains two species, C. elegans and C. teleogrylli.
Cinara pilicornis, the spruce shoot aphid or brown spruce shoot aphid, is an aphid species in the genus Cinara found on Norway spruce and Sitka spruce. It is a quite large aphid species with a plump, dull brown body. It seems to have little effect on the tree. It is a European species but it has also been reported in spruce forests in New Zealand, together with the spruce aphid.
Pauesia is a genus of parasitoid wasps in the subfamily Aphidiinae. The species in the genus use the conifer aphids as their host.
Theocolax elegans is a parasitic wasp species in the genus Theocolax. It is a parasite of immature stages of stored grain pest insects such as Sitophilus granarius or Rhyzopertha dominica.
Dorymyrmex elegans is a species of ant in the genus Dorymyrmex. Described by Trager in 1988, the species is endemic to the United States and Mexico, where it is a nocturnal species and is normally seen on cool days.
Ceropales elegans is a spider wasp species in the genus Ceropales. It is found in Texas.
Caupolicana elegans is a species of bee in the family Colletidae. It is found in Mexico and the United States (Arizona).
Dusona elegans is a species of parasitic wasps in the tribe Limneriini. It is found in Tanzania. The holotype is in the Naturhistoriska Riksmuseet, Stockholm.
Chrysopophthorus hungaricus is a species of wasp in the family Braconidae. It is found in North Italy. It is also found in Great Britain as an introduced species. It is a parasitoid of adult Chrysopidae (Neuroptera).
Binodoxys communis is a parasitoid wasp of the genus Binodoxys. The genus Binodoxys is included in the subfamily Aphidiinae which are noted parasitoids of aphids.
Lysiphlebus testaceipes is a species of small braconid parasitoid wasp in the subfamily Aphidiinae. L. testaceipes can utilize numerous species of aphids as hosts and has often been used as a biological control agent against aphid pests. It is considered an invasive species in several European countries.
Hormius is a genus of parasitoid wasp in the subfamily Hormiinae first described by Christian Gottfried Daniel Nees von Esenbeck in 1818.
References
- ↑ Takada, H. (1965) A new species of the genus Monoctonus Haliday from Japan (Hymenoptera, Aphidiidae)., Kontyu. 33, pages 223-225
- Die Gattungen der Familie Aphidiidae und ihre verwandtschaftliche Zuordnung (Hymenoptera: Ichneumonoidea). M Mackauer - Beiträge zur Entomologie, 1961
- Neue europaische Blattlaus-Schlupfwespen (Hymenoptera: Aphidiidae). M. Mackauer, Bollettino del Laboratorio di Entomologia, 1961, Portici. 19, pages 270–290.
- Calaphidius elegans found in Finland (Hymenoptera, Braconiidae: Aphidiinae). M. Koponen and V. Vikberg, Notulae Entomologicae, 1984, volume 64, page 83
