Bohartillidae

Definition

A monotypic family of twisted-wing parasites (order Strepsiptera) containing the single genus Bohartilla. Members of this family are endoparasitoids of other insects, with highly reduced adult males and neotenic, legless females that remain within the host.

Etymology

Named after entomologist Richard M. Bohart and the diminutive suffix -illa, with the family suffix -idae.

Example

Bohartilla megalogaster, the sole described species in Bohartillidae, parasitizes the ant genus Camponotus in Central America, with males emerging from the host to seek flightless females that remain embedded in the host's abdomen.

Related Terms

• Strepsiptera
• twisted-wing parasite
• endoparasitoid
• Neoteny
• Bohartilla
• Stylopidae
• Xenidae
• Elenchidae
• Myrmecolacidae

Usage Notes

As a monotypic family, Bohartillidae is defined entirely by the genus Bohartilla; taxonomic revisions may eventually subsume it into a broader strepsipteran family if additional species are discovered or if phylogenetic analyses suggest paraphyly. The family is distinguished from other strepsipteran families primarily by male genitalic and larval characteristics.