Rice-pest-management
Guides
Cyrtorhinus
Cyrtorhinus is a genus of predatory plant bugs (family Miridae) containing at least three described species. The genus is best known for Cyrtorhinus lividipennis, an important biological control agent in rice agroecosystems that preys on eggs and nymphs of destructive planthoppers and leafhoppers. Members of this genus possess well-developed chemosensory systems that enable them to locate prey using plant volatile cues.
Gonatopus
hump-backed pincer wasps
Gonatopus is a genus of solitary wasps in the family Dryinidae, commonly known as hump-backed pincer wasps. Females are wingless and possess enlarged, scissor-like foretarsi used to capture leafhopper hosts. The genus comprises ectoparasitoid species that develop on Auchenorrhyncha, primarily leafhoppers (Cicadellidae) and planthoppers (Delphacidae). Multiple species have been documented as biological control agents of agricultural pests, particularly rice plant hoppers in Asia and the glassy-winged sharpshooter in the Americas.
Pseudogonatopus
Pseudogonatopus is a genus of dryinid wasps established by Perkins in 1905. Species in this genus are parasitoids of planthoppers (Hemiptera: Delphacidae), particularly Nilaparvata lugens (brown planthopper), a major rice pest in Asia. The genus exhibits sexual dimorphism: females are wingless with ant-like morphology, while males are winged. Members possess strong mandibles used for host feeding. The genus has been studied extensively for its role in biological control of rice planthoppers and for assessing non-target effects of transgenic Bt rice.
Trichogramma
Trichogramma wasps, egg parasitoid wasps
Trichogramma is a genus of minute polyphagous wasps that are endoparasitoids of insect eggs. With over 200 species worldwide, it is one of approximately 80 genera in the family Trichogrammatidae. These wasps are among the most extensively studied and widely used biological control agents globally, with more than a thousand published papers on their biology and applications. Trichogramma species have also gained attention in neuroscience research due to their extremely small brain size—fewer than 10,000 neurons—while still exhibiting complex behaviors.
biological-controlegg-parasitoidintegrated-pest-managementneuroscience-modelWolbachiamass-rearingagricultural-pest-managementChalcidoideaTrichogrammatidaeaugmentative-biological-controlinundative-releasesustainable-agriculturerice-pest-managementcotton-pest-managementorchard-pest-managementforest-pest-managementparthenogenesischemosensory-biologyminiaturizationbrain-evolution