Parasitism
Guides
Alobates pensylvanicus
false mealworm beetle
Alobates pensylvanicus, commonly known as the false mealworm beetle, is a species of darkling beetle in the family Tenebrionidae. It is native to North America and has been documented as a host for parasitic mite larvae, specifically Neotrombidium beeri, which occupy the subelytral space of adult beetles. The species is part of the diverse tenebrionid fauna associated with decaying organic matter and forest floor habitats.
Andrena milwaukeensis
Milwaukee Mining Bee, Milwaukee Andrena
Andrena milwaukeensis is a solitary mining bee in the family Andrenidae, native to North America. It is a ground-nesting species that has been documented as the primary host for the parasitic strepsipteran Stylops advarians in Saskatchewan, Canada. Research on this host-parasite relationship has revealed significant anatomical and behavioral impacts of parasitism on female bees.
Antennophoroidea
Antennophoroidea is a superfamily of mites within the order Mesostigmata, suborder Trigynaspida. Members of this group are primarily associated with insects, often exhibiting parasitic or phoretic relationships with ant, bee, and wasp hosts. The superfamily is characterized by specialized morphological adaptations for clinging to host antennae and other body parts. It represents a relatively small but ecologically distinctive lineage within the diverse mite fauna.
Aphrophorinae
Aphrophorinae is a subfamily of spittlebugs (family Aphrophoridae, order Hemiptera) characterized by their xylem-feeding habits and association with grasses and herbaceous vegetation. Members are known hosts for Strepsipteran parasites, with documented density-dependent parasitism regulating host populations in African grasslands.
Coccinella trifasciata perplexa
American Three-banded Lady Beetle
Coccinella trifasciata perplexa is a subspecies of three-banded lady beetle in the family Coccinellidae. It occurs in North America and has been documented as a host for the parasitoid wasp Perilitus coccinellae in Ontario, where approximately 7% of adult beetles were parasitized in field studies. The subspecies is part of a broader species complex with distribution across multiple continents.
Enallagma clausum
alkali bluet
Enallagma clausum, the alkali bluet, is a narrow-winged damselfly in the family Coenagrionidae. It is native to North America with a documented range expansion westward in western Canada. The species has been studied for parasite-host dynamics involving water mites and gregarines. Its IUCN conservation status is Least Concern with a stable population.
Enallagma ebrium
Marsh Bluet
Enallagma ebrium, commonly known as the marsh bluet, is a North American damselfly in the family Coenagrionidae. It is closely related to E. hageni, with which it forms a mosaic spatial distribution pattern across eastern North America. The species is known to host the water mite Limnochares americana, which can affect its survivorship and maturation. Research indicates that adult damselflies exhibit grooming behavior in response to mite parasitism, with responses varying by age, sex, and mite intensity.
Eriophyes cerasicrumena
Black Cherry Leaf Gall Mite
Eriophyes cerasicrumena is a gall mite in the family Eriophyidae that induces distinctive spindle-shaped galls on black cherry (Prunus serotina) leaves. The species was formerly classified under the genus Phytoptus. The galls serve as a food source for caterpillars of the cherry gall azure butterfly (Celastrina serotina), which consume both gall tissue and the mites themselves. The species is documented across eastern North America with over 8,600 observations.
Gerris
water striders
Gerris is a genus of water striders (family Gerridae) comprising 43 species in three subgenera (Gerris, Gerriselloides, and Macrogerris). Species in this genus inhabit freshwater surfaces across temperate regions, where they use surface tension to walk on water. The genus has become a model system for studying sexual conflict, with well-documented antagonistic coevolution between males and females over mating control.
Gerris alacris
Gerris alacris is a water strider species in the family Gerridae, first described by Hussey in 1921. It inhabits aquatic environments in North America and is known to serve as a host for larval water mites. Laboratory studies indicate that juvenile G. alacris are susceptible to parasitism by Limnochares aquatica, with significant impacts on survival and development.
Hylobius radicis
Pine Root Collar Weevil
Hylobius radicis is a pine weevil in the family Curculionidae, described by Buchanan in 1935. Adults serve as hosts for the endoparasitic wasp Microctonus pachylobii, with field studies documenting parasitism rates of 8.5%. Parasite loads show seasonal variation, with higher rates observed in April–June compared to August–September.
Latreutes
Latreutes is a genus of marine shrimp in the family Hippolytidae. Species within this genus exhibit distinct reproductive strategies, with documented cases of consecutive breeding and seasonal reproductive peaks. Some species, such as L. fucorum, form mutualistic associations with pelagic Sargassum algae, while others inhabit benthic marine environments. The genus shows variation in habitat preference across species, from Sargassum-associated pelagic habitats to seagrass meadows and coastal waters.
Leptinotarsa
Potato Beetles
Leptinotarsa is a genus of leaf beetles (Chrysomelidae) containing approximately 20 described species, with the most notable being Leptinotarsa decemlineata, the Colorado potato beetle. Several species in the genus produce leptinotarsin, a toxin structurally similar to diamphotoxin found in African leaf beetles of the genus Diamphidia. Some Leptinotarsa species serve as hosts for parasitoid ground beetles in the genus Lebia.
Macrocheles
Macrocheles is a genus of mites in the family Macrochelidae, containing over 80 described species. Members of this genus are primarily known for their phoretic associations with insects, particularly flies and beetles, though some species exhibit facultative or obligate parasitism. Research on Macrocheles muscaedomesticae has provided important insights into the evolutionary origins of parasitism from free-living ancestors. Species in this genus occupy diverse habitats including carrion, dung, decaying plant matter, and necrotic cacti, often following their insect hosts to these ephemeral resources.
Pachycheles
porcelain crabs
Pachycheles is a genus of porcelain crabs (family Porcellanidae) comprising more than 40 described species. These anomuran decapods are distributed across tropical and temperate marine regions, with origins in the Indo-Pacific and subsequent spread to the Americas. The genus is characterized by fragmented lateral carapace walls and exhibits considerable morphological diversity. Several species are subject to parasitism by rhizocephalan barnacles and bopyrid isopods, which can significantly affect host growth and reproduction.
Pachycheles rudis
thickclaw porcelain crab, big-clawed porcelain crab
Pachycheles rudis is a porcelain crab in the family Porcellanidae, commonly known as the thickclaw porcelain crab or big-clawed porcelain crab. It inhabits the East Pacific coast from Baja California to Kodiak, Alaska. The species is a filter feeder that typically occurs in heterosexual pairs and exhibits size-assortative pairing with apparent long-term mate recognition. It is frequently found in crevices, nooks, and interstices, often occupying discarded barnacle shells lined with the bryozoan Alcyonidium.
Papilio thoas
Thoas swallowtail, King swallowtail
Papilio thoas is a large swallowtail butterfly distributed across the Neotropics from Mexico through Central America to South America. The species exhibits typical papilionid characteristics including prominent tail-like extensions on the hindwings. Larvae have been reared on Piper aduncum in laboratory conditions, though natural host plant associations in the wild require further confirmation. The species is subject to parasitism by sarcophagid flies during the pupal stage.
Philoponella oweni
Philoponella oweni is a small cribellate orb-weaver spider (4.7–7.1 mm) found in arid regions of the southwestern United States and northwestern Mexico. The species exhibits facultative semi-social behavior, with females living either solitarily or in communal groups of 2–40 individuals depending on web-site availability and prey abundance. Despite communal living, individuals do not cooperate in prey capture, web construction, or brood care. Communal females benefit from higher feeding rates and greater egg production, but suffer increased parasitism by pteromalid wasps, resulting in equivalent net reproductive success between strategies.
Pinnotheridae
pea crabs, bivalve pea crabs
Pinnotheridae is a family of minute, soft-bodied crabs commonly known as pea crabs. Members are obligate symbionts that inhabit the mantles of bivalve molluscs, with occasional associations with large gastropods (genera Strombus and Haliotis), echinoids, holothurians, and ascidians. The family exhibits extensive morphological adaptations for symbiotic life, including reduced carapace calcification and specialized feeding structures. Fossil records extend to the Danian (Early Paleocene).
Prokelisia dolus
Prokelisia dolus is a delphacid planthopper species inhabiting salt marsh environments in North America. The species has been characterized by a polygynous mating system in which males may copulate with multiple females while females typically mate once. Sexual receptivity in females is triggered by a substance in male ejaculate, with receptivity onset occurring approximately 48 hours post-eclosion. The species serves as host for nymphal and adult parasites, with parasitism rates documented in field studies.
Pugettia producta
Northern Kelp Crab, Shield-backed Kelp Crab
Pugettia producta is a spider crab found along the Pacific coast of North America, recognized by its shield-shaped carapace and long, multi-jointed legs adapted for climbing kelp. The species exhibits pronounced sexual dimorphism, with males reaching larger sizes and possessing more robust chelipeds. It demonstrates remarkable dietary flexibility, shifting from herbivory in summer to carnivory in winter.
Samea multiplicalis
salvinia stem-borer moth
Samea multiplicalis is an aquatic moth native to the Americas, ranging from the southern United States to Argentina, and introduced to Australia in 1981 as a biological control agent for invasive water ferns. Adults are small, tan moths with darker wing markings and a wingspan of approximately 20 mm. The species completes its entire life cycle on or near aquatic host plants, with larvae feeding internally on stems and externally on leaves, often causing plant death. High rates of parasitism by native wasps and flies limit its effectiveness as a weed control agent in introduced ranges.
Sosippus texanus
Sosippus texanus is a species of funnel-web wolf spider in the family Lycosidae, distinguished from typical wolf spiders by its web-building behavior. Unlike the nomadic hunting behavior of most lycosids, this species constructs sheet-like webs with funnel-shaped retreats. It is one of six Sosippus species occurring in the United States and has been documented as a host for the mantisfly Mantispa sayi.
Stagmomantis carolina
Carolina mantis, Carolina mantid
Stagmomantis carolina, the Carolina mantis, is a native North American mantid species ranging from New Jersey south to Florida and west to Arizona. It is smaller than introduced mantid species such as the Chinese mantis (Tenodera sinensis) and European mantis (Mantis religiosa), typically exhibiting gray or brown coloration. The species overwinters as eggs in protective cases called oothecae, with nymphs emerging in spring and adults present from July through October. It serves as an important predator in gardens and natural landscapes, with documented parasitism by the tachinid fly Masiphya confusa.
Tamalia
Ericaceous Gall Aphids, Manzanita Leaf Gall Aphids
Tamalia is a Nearctic genus of gall-forming aphids and the sole genus in the subfamily Tamaliinae. Eight described species induce galls on woody plants in the heath family (Ericaceae), primarily on manzanita (Arctostaphylos) and related genera. The genus exhibits a distinctive social system in which multiple foundresses co-occupy galls, a trait that has been exploited by the evolution of socially parasitic inquiline species within the same genus.