Host-switching
Guides
Adelphocoris
plant bugs
Adelphocoris is a genus of plant bugs in the family Miridae, tribe Mirini. Multiple species are significant agricultural pests, particularly in Chinese cotton production following widespread Bt cotton adoption. The genus includes at least three economically important species—A. suturalis, A. lineolatus, and A. fasciaticollis—that exhibit distinct geographic distributions, seasonal dynamics, and host plant associations. Species within this genus show complex life histories involving migratory behavior, diapause, and multi-generational development on diverse host plants.
Anthonomus rufipennis
Anthonomus rufipennis is a specialist herbivorous weevil in the family Curculionidae that exhibits seasonal dormancy in dry tropical forests. Populations migrate between a reproductive host tree and a refuge host epiphyte to survive the dry season. The species is facultatively multivoltine, with reproductive activity tied to the availability of flower buds on the host tree. It has been studied as a model for insect dormancy in seasonally dry environments.
Creontiades
green mirids, verde plant bugs
Creontiades is a genus of plant bugs (family Miridae) comprising over 50 described species distributed across tropical and subtropical regions worldwide. Several species are significant agricultural pests, particularly of cotton, where they damage developing reproductive structures. The genus exhibits broad host plant associations, with some species showing high mobility between natural vegetation and crop systems.
Diadasia diminuta
globe mallow bee, globemallow chimney bee
Diadasia diminuta, commonly known as the globe mallow bee or globemallow chimney bee, is a solitary bee species in the family Apidae, tribe Emphorini. It is native to North and Central America and is primarily associated with flowers in the genus Sphaeralcea (globe mallows). The species has been documented exhibiting host-switching behavior, utilizing alternative mallow species such as Iliamna latibracteata when its preferred host plants are unavailable. Like other chimney bees, females construct distinctive turret-like nest entrances.
Haeteriinae
Haeteriinae is a subfamily of clown beetles (Histeridae) comprising over 110 genera and 330 described species. Members are obligate myrmecophiles and termitophiles, specialized as social symbionts that infiltrate ant and termite colonies. The subfamily exhibits dramatic behavioral and chemical adaptations for colony integration, including mouth-to-mouth feeding with host workers, grooming behaviors, and chemical mimicry of host scents. A 99-million-year-old fossil from Burmese amber demonstrates that this symbiotic relationship originated in the Cretaceous period, contemporaneous with the earliest-known ants.
Idris
Idris is a large genus of parasitic wasps in the family Scelionidae, first described by Förster in 1856. The genus contains over 300 described species worldwide, with many more remaining undescribed. Most species are egg parasitoids, historically associated with spider eggs, though at least one species has been documented parasitizing stink bug eggs. Members are typically very small, measuring 1–2 mm in length, with reduced wing size that facilitates access to concealed host eggs.
Ormia lineifrons
Ormia lineifrons is a multivoltine koinobiont endoparasitoid fly in the family Tachinidae. It is native to the Americas and has been studied extensively in Kentucky, USA, where it parasitizes four species of Neoconocephalus katydids in a sequential pattern across its three annual generations. The fly locates hosts by eavesdropping on male katydid mating calls, depositing first-instar larvae that develop internally and kill the host upon emergence. Its multi-species host use creates complex evolutionary dynamics with each host species exerting different selective pressures.
Pyrgus centaureae freija
Freija's Grizzled Skipper
Pyrgus centaureae freija is a subspecies of grizzled skipper butterfly in the family Hesperiidae. It was originally described as a full species by Warren in 1924, but is currently treated as a subspecies of Pyrgus centaureae. The taxon is considered a synonym of Pyrgus wyandot in some classifications. It is a member of the diverse Pyrgus genus, commonly known as checkered-skippers or grizzled skippers.