Parasitic wood wasps

Pronunciation
/par-AS-it-ik wood wasps/
Category
Taxonomy
Singular
Parasitic wood wasp
Plural
Parasitic wood wasps

Definition

Wood-boring insects belonging to the family Ibaliidae, known for their parasitism of wood-boring Coleoptera and Hymenoptera larvae.

Etymology

From 'parasitic' indicating their feeding habits on other insects and 'wood wasps', referring to their association with wood.

Example

The parasitic wood wasp, Xyelimorpha, is a major pest of conifers in Australia.

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