Aerophilus
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Aerophilus | |
|---|---|
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Insecta |
| Order: | Hymenoptera |
| Family: | Braconidae |
| Subfamily: | Agathidinae |
| Tribe: | Agathidini |
| Genus: | Aerophilus Szepligeti, 1902 |
| Species | |
|
Many, see text | |
Aerophilus is a genus of parasitoid wasps belonging to the family Braconidae. As members of the subfamily Agathidinae, they are koinobiont endoparasitoids of caterpillars.[1] The host is attacked as an early instar, but not consumed and killed until the host is about to pupate. Nearly all species of Aerophilus have a narrow host range, attacking only one caterpillar species. However, the host range of the genus as a whole is quite broad, including many families of Lepidoptera.[2]
Several species have been used in biological control programs, but with minimal success. Aerophilus has a world-wide distribution. Thirty-five species have been described from the United States and Canada.
