Leptopilina | |
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Leptopilina boulardii (Eucoilinae), a parasitoid of Drosophila | |
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Genus: | Leptopilina Förster, 1862 [1] |
Leptopilina is a genus of parasitoid wasp in the family Figitidae. The genus is best known for the three Drosophila parasitoids Leptopilina boulardi , Leptopilina heterotoma and Leptopilina clavipes, used to study host-parasite immune interactions. The venom released by L. heterotoma during oviposition contains virus-like particles that delay host larval development and suppress the host cellular immune response. [2] [3] There is no evidence that these virus-like particles are the products of viral DNA as described in other parasitoid taxa. [4]
L. japonica is a parasitoid of Drosophila suzukii which is an important pest in fruit production. [5] [6] It was first captured in November 2020 as bycatch from a Vespa mandarinia trap in Washington State [7] [8] [9] - the first find of this species in the United States. [7] [8] [9] This may help to control D. suzukii in North America. [7] [8] [9]
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: CS1 maint: article number as page number (link)the traps also captured the first United States specimens of parasitoid wasps that prey on SWD. The parasitoid larvae will live off SWD and eventually kill it. Without these traps this parasitoid wasp might have gone unnoticed. This information may help the development of biological control programs to potentially help manage SWD.