Biological-control
Guides
Agonum limbatum
Agonum limbatum is a species of ground beetle in the family Carabidae. It is native to North America, with confirmed records from British Columbia, Canada. The genus Agonum contains numerous small to medium-sized predatory beetles commonly found in moist habitats. A. limbatum has been documented in turfgrass ecosystems where it functions as a predator of other arthropods.
Agonum muelleri
Müller's Harp Ground Beetle
Agonum muelleri is a ground beetle species in the family Carabidae, widespread across the Palearctic, Nearctic, and Near East regions. It is notably abundant in agricultural landscapes, particularly soybean fields, where it functions as an active predator of pest insects. The species exhibits atypical behavior for a ground beetle by readily climbing vegetation to hunt prey. Two subspecies are recognized: A. muelleri muelleri and A. muelleri unicolor.
Agonum suturale
sutured harp ground beetle
Agonum suturale is a species of ground beetle in the subfamily Platyninae. It is found in the western half of North America, including Canada, the United States, and Mexico. The species exhibits metallic coloration and is of moderate size for the genus. It is known to occur in turfgrass habitats where it functions as a predator.
Agrilus planipennis
Emerald Ash Borer, EAB
Agrilus planipennis, the emerald ash borer, is a highly destructive invasive beetle native to northeastern Asia. First detected in North America in 2002 (Michigan) and European Russia in 2003, it has since spread to 36 U.S. states, five Canadian provinces, and across Eastern Europe. The species has killed hundreds of millions of ash trees, causing severe ecological and economic damage. In its native range, it occurs at low densities without significant tree mortality; in invaded regions, it typically kills over 90% of ash trees within 2–4 years of establishment.
Agriotes obscurus
dusky wireworm, obscure click beetle
Agriotes obscurus is a click beetle native to Europe and northern Asia that has become an established invasive pest in western North America since its accidental introduction around 1900. The larvae, known as wireworms, are significant agricultural pests that feed on tubers, seeds, and roots of numerous crops including potatoes, cereals, and vegetables. Adults are dark brown to black beetles 7–10 mm long, distinguishable from related species by their pronotum morphology and elytral ridges. The species has a prolonged life cycle of 2–4 years depending on temperature, with larvae passing through 8–13 instars before pupation.
Agriotes sputator
Spitting Click Beetle, Common Click Beetle
Agriotes sputator is a click beetle native to Europe, with established populations in parts of western Asia, North Africa, and an introduced range in eastern Canada. Adults are small (6–9 mm), dark brown to black with reddish-brown antennae and legs. The larvae, known as wireworms, are soil-dwelling agricultural pests that feed on roots and germinating seeds. The species completes its life cycle in up to five years, with larvae developing through multiple growth stages before pupation. It is considered a serious pest of cereals, potatoes, and other crops, and is monitored using pheromone traps baited with geranyl butanoate.
Agromyza frontella
alfalfa blotch leafminer
Agromyza frontella, the alfalfa blotch leafminer, is a small dipteran leafminer in the family Agromyzidae. Native to Europe, it has become an established agricultural pest of alfalfa (Medicago sativa) in North America, particularly in Canada and the northern United States. Larvae feed between leaf surfaces, creating distinctive blotch-shaped mines. The species exhibits sexual dimorphism in daily activity patterns, with males most active during cooler morning and evening periods while females feed and oviposit throughout the day. It has been subject to classical biological control using the introduced parasitoid Dacnusa dryas.
Agrothereutes
Agrothereutes is a genus of parasitoid wasps in the family Ichneumonidae, containing over 40 described species. Members are solitary ectoparasitoids that attack concealed lepidopteran hosts, primarily targeting prepupal and pupal stages. Several species have been studied for their host relationships and reproductive biology, including A. lanceolatus and A. minousubae. The genus exhibits facultative diapause and variable voltinism, with some populations producing one or two generations annually.
Agrypon
Agrypon is a genus of ichneumonid parasitoid wasps described by Arnold Förster in 1860. Species within this genus are solitary larval-pupal endoparasitoids that develop within caterpillars of various lepidopteran hosts. At least one species, A. flaveolatum, has been introduced as a biological control agent for pest management.
Agrypon flaveolatum
Agrypon flaveolatum is a parasitoid wasp in the family Ichneumonidae, first described by Gravenhorst in 1807. Native to Europe and Asia, it was introduced to eastern and western Canada in the mid-20th century as a biological control agent against the invasive winter moth (Operophtera brumata). The species has established populations in Nova Scotia and British Columbia, where it parasitizes winter moth larvae on apple and oak trees. It has been distinguished from closely related native North American species through morphological characters and morphometric analysis of antennal flagellomere annuli.
Alaptus
Alaptus is a genus of minute egg parasitoid wasps in the family Mymaridae, commonly known as fairyflies. The genus contains approximately 17 described species in the Holarctic region, with several new species described from North America and Russia in recent taxonomic revisions. These wasps are specialized parasitoids of psocid eggs (barklice), with some species also associated with scale insects and other small arthropod eggs. Alaptus species are among the smallest insects, with body lengths typically under 1 mm.
Alcaeorrhynchus grandis
Giant Strong-nosed Stink Bug
Alcaeorrhynchus grandis is a large predatory stink bug reaching approximately 20 mm in length. It is a member of the subfamily Asopinae within Pentatomidae, a group characterized by predatory rather than herbivorous habits. The species has been studied as a potential biological control agent for lepidopteran pests in agricultural systems, particularly in palm oil plantations in the Brazilian Amazon. Its life cycle stages have been documented for field identification purposes.
Aleiodes
mummy-wasps, Common Mummy Wasps
Aleiodes is a large cosmopolitan genus of parasitoid wasps in the family Braconidae, commonly known as mummy-wasps. The genus was established by Constantin Wesmael in 1838 and contains thousands of described species, with exceptional diversity in the Western Hemisphere. Females are solitary koinobiont endoparasitoids that attack caterpillars, laying eggs inside living hosts. The developing wasp larvae consume the host from within, eventually killing it and causing the remains to harden into a distinctive 'mummy' from which the adult emerges.
Aleiodes malacosomatos
Tent Caterpillar Mummy Wasp
Aleiodes malacosomatos is a parasitoid wasp in the family Braconidae, first described by Mason in 1979. The common name "Tent Caterpillar Mummy Wasp" reflects its parasitic relationship with tent caterpillars (Malacosoma spp.), a genus of lappet moths. Like other members of the genus Aleiodes, this species is a koinobiont endoparasitoid that develops inside living caterpillars, eventually killing and mummifying the host. The species is part of a diverse genus of mummy-wasps that have gained scientific and public attention for their distinctive biology and, in some cases, celebrity-inspired species names.
Aleiodes nolophanae
Aleiodes nolophanae is a specialist braconid parasitoid wasp described by Ashmead in 1889. It parasitizes caterpillars of the green cloverworm (Hypena scabra, Noctuidae). Research demonstrates that host plant species significantly affects parasitoid phenotype: wasps reared from hosts feeding on alfalfa exhibit larger body mass and, in some populations, greater longevity compared to those from soybean-fed hosts. This geographic variation in plant-mediated effects has implications for biological control applications.
Aleiodes scrutator
Aleiodes scrutator is a species of parasitoid wasp in the family Braconidae, subfamily Rogadinae. First described by Thomas Say in 1836, this species belongs to a genus known for 'mummy-making' behavior, where the wasp larva develops inside a caterpillar host and eventually kills it, leaving behind a hardened, mummified remains. Like other Aleiodes species, A. scrutator is a koinobiont endoparasitoid of lepidopteran larvae. The species has been documented in North America with a small number of iNaturalist observations, though detailed biological studies specific to this species appear limited in the available literature.
Aleiodes stigmator
Stigmata Mummy Wasp
Aleiodes stigmator is a parasitoid wasp in the family Braconidae, first described by Thomas Say in 1824. Like other members of the genus Aleiodes, it is a koinobiont endoparasitoid that develops inside living caterpillars, eventually killing and mummifying its host. The species has been recorded in the northeastern United States, including Vermont. It belongs to a diverse genus containing over 100 described species, many of which are understudied tropical taxa.
Aleiodes terminalis
Terminal Mummy Wasp
Aleiodes terminalis is a species of mummy wasp in the family Braconidae, first described by Cresson in 1869. Like other members of the genus Aleiodes, it is a koinobiont endoparasitoid that develops inside living caterpillar hosts. The species is part of a diverse radiation of Aleiodes wasps that exhibit the distinctive trait of causing host caterpillars to mummify after the wasp larva emerges. It is one of the earlier-described species in a genus that has seen extensive taxonomic revision and species discovery in recent decades.
Aleochara
Aleochara is a genus of rove beetles (Staphylinidae) distinguished by its parasitoid larval life history. Adults are predatory, feeding on eggs, larvae, and puparia of scatophagous and necrophagous Diptera. Larvae are ectoparasitoids that develop inside fly puparia, killing the host. The genus contains at least 150 and possibly more than 400 species across 16 subgenera, with a worldwide distribution except Antarctica. Several species, notably Aleochara bilineata, are significant biological control agents of agricultural pest flies.
Aleochara lustrica
Aleochara lustrica is a rove beetle (Staphylinidae) with a dual life history: adults are predatory on fly larvae, while larvae are ectoparasitoids of cyclorrhaphan fly pupae. The species has been documented across the Americas from Canada to southern Brazil, with recent records extending its known range. It has confirmed associations with sarcophagid flies under laboratory conditions and plays a role in regulating populations of necrophagous Diptera of medical, veterinary, and forensic importance.
Aleochara taeniata
Aleochara taeniata is a rove beetle (Staphylinidae) in the subfamily Aleocharinae. It has been documented as a parasite of the house fly, Musca domestica, with larvae developing within fly puparia. The species occurs across a broad geographic range in the Americas, from the southwestern United States through Central America and into South America, with records from the Caribbean as well.
Aleurocanthus
Aleurocanthus is a genus of whiteflies in the family Aleyrodidae, established by Quaintance & Baker in 1914. Species in this genus are significant agricultural pests, particularly of citrus and other cultivated crops. The genus includes notable species such as the orange spiny whitefly (A. spiniferus) and the citrus blackfly (A. woglumi), both of which have been subjects of extensive biological control programs due to their economic impact. The genus is characterized by distinctive spiny or ornamented puparial cases and exhibits sexual dimorphism in some species.
Aleurodicus dugesii
giant whitefly, spiralling whitefly
Aleurodicus dugesii, commonly known as the giant whitefly, is a polyphagous pest of horticultural crops native to the Americas and invasive in Asia. It produces distinctive long wax filaments during the nymph stage that resemble a beard. Population densities can exceed 1,900 individuals per leaf on preferred hosts, causing severe defoliation and plant damage. The species serves as host for several introduced parasitoids used in biological control programs.
Aleuroplatus coronata
Crown Whitefly
Aleuroplatus coronata, known as the crown whitefly, is a small sap-feeding insect in the family Aleyrodidae. Native to the southern United States and Mexico, it has established populations in California where it primarily infests oak and chestnut trees. The species derives its common name from the distinctive crown of waxy filaments surrounding the puparium. Heavy infestations can cause leaf drop, though the species generally causes limited harm to healthy host trees.
Aleuropleurocelus
Aleuropleurocelus is a genus of whiteflies (Aleyrodidae) in the suborder Sternorrhyncha. The genus includes species that are phytophagous pests of woody plants. One undescribed species close to A. acaudatus has been documented as a significant pest of native Mexican avocados (Persea americana) in southern Coahuila, where it is subject to substantial natural parasitism by aphelinid wasps.
Aleurothrixus
woolly whiteflies
Aleurothrixus is a genus of whiteflies (family Aleyrodidae) containing approximately 20 described species. The most economically significant species is A. floccosus (woolly whitefly), a major pest of citrus and other crops across tropical and subtropical regions worldwide. Several species in the genus have been documented as agricultural pests, with extensive research focused on their biological control using parasitoid wasps.
Aleyrodoidea
whiteflies
Aleyrodoidea is a superfamily of small hemipteran insects commonly known as whiteflies. The superfamily contains a single family, Aleyrodidae, with more than 1,550 described species. Whiteflies are phytophagous insects that feed on plant sap, typically from the undersides of leaves. Several species are significant agricultural pests, including the citrus blackfly (Aleurocanthus woglumi) and the Bemisia tabaci species complex.
Algarobius
Algarobius is a genus of seed beetles in the family Chrysomelidae, subfamily Bruchinae, comprising approximately six described species. The genus is notable for its association with leguminous plants, particularly Prosopis species (mesquites). Algarobius prosopis has been widely used as a biological control agent against invasive mesquite weeds in South Africa. These beetles are specialized seed-feeders whose larvae develop within seeds.
Algarobius prosopis
Prosopis Seed Beetle
Algarobius prosopis is a seed-feeding bruchid beetle in the family Chrysomelidae. It has been introduced to South Africa as a biological control agent for invasive mesquite weeds (Prosopis species). Native parasitoids in the introduced range interfere with its efficacy as a biocontrol agent. The species has a broad native distribution spanning Africa, Europe and Northern Asia (excluding China), Central America, and North America.
Allantus
Allantus is a genus of sawflies in the family Tenthredinidae. Members of this genus are herbivorous, with larvae feeding on various plants including roses, buckwheat, and dock weeds. Some species are significant agricultural pests, while others have been investigated as potential biological control agents for invasive weeds. The genus is distributed across the Holarctic region, with species found in Europe, Asia, and North America.
Allograpta obliqua
oblique streaktail
Allograpta obliqua is a common North American hoverfly species in the family Syrphidae. Adults are small, measuring 6–7 mm, with distinctive yellow thoracic stripes and abdominal banding. The species exhibits sexual dimorphism in eye structure: males have holoptic eyes while females have dichoptic eyes. Larvae are aphid predators, reaching 8–9 mm in length with a bumpy, slug-like appearance. The species is active year-round in southern portions of its range and has been documented across much of the continental United States, southern Canada, Mexico, Bermuda, the West Indies, and parts of the Neotropical Americas.
Allothrombium
Sumo Mites
Allothrombium is a genus of velvet mites (family Trombidiidae) comprising approximately 45 described species distributed across the Palaearctic, Ethiopian, Australian, Oriental, and Nearctic realms. Species in this genus exhibit complex life cycles involving parasitic larvae and predatory post-larval stages. Larvae are ectoparasites primarily of aphids, while deutonymphs and adults are free-living predators of small arthropods and their eggs. Several species have been investigated as potential biological control agents for agricultural pest aphids.
Alloxysta
Alloxysta is a genus of small parasitic wasps in the family Figitidae, subfamily Charipinae. The genus was described by Arnold Förster in 1869 and contains over 100 species with cosmopolitan distribution. Members are aphid hyperparasitoids, attacking primary parasitoids (aphidiid wasps) that develop within aphids. Some species exhibit thelytokous parthenogenesis induced by Wolbachia endosymbionts, where unmated females produce female offspring without mating.
Alphomelon
Alphomelon is a genus of parasitoid wasps in the family Braconidae, subfamily Microgastrinae. The genus comprises 49 described species, with 30 described in a 2023 revision. Species delimitation requires integration of morphology, DNA barcoding, host data, and distribution information; neither morphology nor DNA barcoding alone is sufficient to distinguish all species.
Althaeus folkertsi
velvetleaf seed beetle
Althaeus folkertsi, the velvetleaf seed beetle, is a seed weevil in the subfamily Bruchinae (formerly treated as family Bruchidae). Adults are extremely small, measuring 1.5–2.5 mm in length. The species is associated with velvetleaf (Abutilon theophrasti) and related mallows, developing within the seeds. It occurs in North America.
Altica
Metallic Flea Beetles
Altica is a large genus of flea beetles comprising approximately 300 species distributed nearly worldwide. The genus name derives from Greek 'haltikós' meaning 'jumper,' referring to the adult beetles' ability to jump when disturbed. Species are small, metallic blue-green to bronze beetles that are morphologically similar and often distinguished only by male genitalia. Both larvae and adults are phytophagous, with most species showing strong host plant specificity. The genus is best represented in the Neotropical realm, with significant diversity in the Nearctic and Palearctic regions.
Alysia
Alysia is a genus of parasitoid wasps in the family Braconidae. Members of this genus are known to develop as parasitoids within the puparia of dipteran hosts, with at least one species, Alysia manducator, documented to parasitize the blow fly Lucilia sericata. The genus exhibits sex ratio plasticity in response to host size, with larger host puparia producing female-biased offspring ratios. Alysia species function as biological control agents of fly populations.
Alysiini
Alysiini is a tribe of koinobiont endoparasitoid wasps within the subfamily Alysiinae (Braconidae). Members are characterized by a distinctive exodont mandible condition—the only group of Braconidae with mandibles that open outward rather than downward. The tribe includes approximately 16 genera in the Dapsilarthra genus group and numerous other genera globally, with substantial faunas in Europe (over 400 species in related Dacnusini) and Australia (14 genera). Host associations are primarily with cyclorrhaphan Diptera, including leaf-mining Agromyzidae, fungus-inhabiting flies, and gall-forming Chloropidae.
Amara aenea
Common Sun Beetle
Amara aenea, commonly known as the common sun beetle, is a ground beetle species in the family Carabidae. It occurs across almost all of Europe and Northern Asia, with its range extending into parts of Northern Africa. Adults are predatory, feeding on insects including agricultural pests such as apple maggot and soybean aphid. The species has been studied for potential use in integrated pest management programs.
Amblyseius
Amblyseius is a large genus of predatory mites in the family Phytoseiidae. Species in this genus are generalist predators that feed on pest mites, thrips, whiteflies, and other small arthropods. Several species, particularly A. swirskii and A. andersoni, are widely used as biological control agents in integrated pest management programs for agricultural crops. The genus exhibits considerable ecological versatility, with many species capable of surviving on alternative food sources such as pollen and fungal secretions when prey is scarce.
Amblyseius andersoni
Amblyseius andersoni is a generalist predatory mite in the family Phytoseiidae, widely distributed across Europe, North America, and parts of Asia. It is commercially available and employed as a biological control agent against spider mites, eriophyid mites, and other small arthropod pests in orchards, greenhouses, and open-field crops. The species exhibits broad dietary flexibility, feeding on plant-feeding mites, thrips, whiteflies, and various pollens. Laboratory studies demonstrate that it can be mass-reared on alternative diets such as cattail pollen and the stored product mite Carpoglyphus lactis without loss of predatory efficiency on natural prey.
predatory-mitebiological-controlgeneralist-predatorintegrated-pest-managementspider-mite-controleriophyid-mite-controlorchard-pest-managementgreenhouse-biocontrolmass-rearingpollen-feedingalternative-diettemperature-dependent-developmentPhytoseiidaeAcariEuropeNorth-AmericaChinaapplecitrusconiferous-plantsAmblyseius swirskii
Swirski mite
Amblyseius swirskii is a predatory mite in the family Phytoseiidae, originally described from almond trees in Israel in 1962. It has become one of the most widely used biological control agents globally, commercially available and released in more than 50 countries. The species is a generalist predator feeding on whiteflies, thrips, spider mites, broad mites, and other small arthropod pests of vegetable and ornamental crops. It can also survive and reproduce on non-prey food sources including pollen, nectar, and plant secretions, which enhances its establishment when prey are scarce.
Amiseginae
Amiseginae is a subfamily of cuckoo wasps (Chrysididae) containing over 30 genera and approximately 150 described species. These wasps are obligate parasitoids of stick insect eggs (Phasmatodea), a highly specialized ecological relationship that has persisted since at least the mid-Cretaceous. Females of some genera are flightless and exhibit ant-like morphology. The subfamily has a global distribution.
Amitus
Amitus is a genus of parasitoid wasps in the family Platygastridae, containing at least 16 described species. Species in this genus are primarily known as biological control agents of whiteflies (Aleyrodidae), with several species introduced internationally for pest management. Notable species include A. hesperidum, an effective parasitoid of citrus blackfly introduced to multiple countries; A. fuscipennis, used against greenhouse whitefly; and A. bennetti, a parasitoid of silverleaf whitefly.
Ammophilinae
thread-waisted wasps
Ammophilinae is a subfamily of thread-waisted wasps in the family Sphecidae, containing approximately 6 genera and over 320 described species. Members are solitary wasps characterized by a narrow petiole connecting the thorax and abdomen. The group includes well-known genera such as Ammophila and Podalonia, which are notable for their specialized hunting behaviors involving caterpillar prey.
Ammoplanops
Ammoplanops is a genus of aphid wasps containing approximately 15 described species. These small solitary wasps are classified within the subfamily Pemphredoninae of the family Crabronidae. The genus was established by Gussakovskij in 1931. Species in this genus are specialized predators that provision their nests with aphids.
Amorbia
leafroller moths
Amorbia is a New World genus of tortricid moths containing approximately 29 species distributed from Brazil through Central America, the Caribbean, Mexico, and into the United States and Canada. Larvae of at least some species are known leafrollers that feed on host plants including blackberry (Rubus). The genus has been subject to systematic revision, with eight informal species groups proposed based on morphological characters. Several species are of economic concern as pests of Rubus crops in Mexico.
Amphiareus
minute pirate bugs
Amphiareus is a genus of minute pirate bugs in the family Anthocoridae, established by Distant in 1904. Species occur in Eurasia and North America. At least one species, Amphiareus constrictus, has been successfully mass-reared in laboratory conditions for biological control research. The genus includes species associated with dead-leaf microhabitats and agricultural pest management.
Amynothrips
Amynothrips is a monotypic genus of thrips in the family Phlaeothripidae, erected by O'Neill in 1968. The sole described species, Amynothrips andersoni, is a specialized herbivore of alligatorweed (Alternanthera philoxeroides) and has been extensively studied as a biological control agent for this invasive aquatic plant. Research has focused on its host specificity, cold tolerance, and population dynamics in managed release programs.
Amynothrips andersoni
Alligatorweed Thrips, Alligator Weed Thrips
Amynothrips andersoni is a species of thrips in the family Phlaeothripidae, native to South America and introduced to the United States as a biological control agent against the invasive aquatic weed alligator weed (Alternanthera philoxeroides). Adults are small, shiny black insects approximately 2 mm in length. The species exhibits wing dimorphism, with both short-winged and long-winged flying forms present, though the latter is rare. Both larval and adult stages feed on alligator weed, causing leaf curling and plant stunting.