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Spalangia drosophilae
Spalangia drosophilae is a small parasitoid wasp in the family Pteromalidae that attacks the puparia of various Diptera. Originally described from North America in 1887, this species has been documented as a parasitoid of frit flies (Oscinella frit), house flies, stable flies, and other muscoid flies in agricultural and pastoral settings. Females exhibit sophisticated host-finding behavior, using sensory cues to locate damp, grassy areas where host puparia occur. The species demonstrates host discrimination abilities to avoid superparasitism, though this restraint breaks down under high parasite-host ratios. It has been recorded from the Galápagos Islands, western North America, and Brazil, and is utilized in biological control programs for filth fly management in livestock operations.