Kin-selection

Guides

• Copidosoma floridanum

  Copidosoma floridanum is a polyembryonic parasitoid wasp in the family Encyrtidae, notable for producing the largest recorded brood of any parasitoidal insect—up to 3,055 individuals from a single egg. Females oviposit into the eggs of plusiine moths, and the resulting embryos undergo clonal division to form genetically identical siblings. The brood develops into two distinct castes: reproductive larvae that emerge as adult wasps, and sterile soldier larvae that defend their siblings from competitors.

  polyembryonyparasitoidbiological-controlcastekin-selectionsoldier-castePlusiinaeEncyrtidaeagricultural-pest-managementgenome-sequencingi5K-project

• Melittobia

  Melittobia is a genus of tiny parasitoid wasps in the family Eulophidae, notable for extreme polymorphism, complex social behaviors, and highly female-biased sex ratios. Females exhibit three distinct morphs—winged 'fliers,' short-winged 'jumpers,' and wingless 'crawlers'—determined by larval density rather than genetics. Males are blind, flightless, and comprise only about 5% of offspring, produced asexually through arrhenotokous parthenogenesis. The genus attacks prepupae and pupae of solitary bees, wasps, and other insects in their hosts' nests, with some species also parasitizing fruit flies and flesh flies. Several species are well-studied model organisms for genetics, developmental biology, and behavioral ecology, though taxonomic confusion persists due to extreme morphological plasticity.

  parasitoidpolymorphismarrhenotokysex-ratiomodel-organismgregariousectoparasitoidEulophidaeTetrastichinaehymenopteradevelopmental-plasticitykin-selectionpheromonelethal-male-combatmorph-determinationcosmopolitanbiological-controlbee-parasitewasp-parasite

• Pemphigus spyrothecae

  Poplar Spiral Gall Aphid

  Pemphigus spyrothecae is a gall-forming aphid that induces distinctive spiral-shaped galls on leaf petioles of Populus nigra. The species exhibits eusocial behavior with a sterile soldier caste comprising first-instar nymphs with thickened hind legs that defend the colony against predators. Colony defense includes fortress defense, gall repair, and maintenance of colony hygiene. The aphid has a holocyclic life cycle with four generations: fundatrix, apterous virginoparae, alate sexuparae, and sexual males and females. Genetic relatedness within galls is high due to clonal reproduction, with clonal mixing averaging 0.68-10.4% across populations.

  gall-formingeusocialsoldier-castealtruismPopulus-nigraholocyclicparthenogenesisfortress-defensekin-selection