Social-wasp-parasite
Guides
Elasmus polistis
Elasmus polistis is a minute parasitoid wasp in the family Eulophidae, first described by Burks in 1971. It is an ectoparasitoid specializing on the brood of paper wasps in the genus Polistes. The species has been documented attacking prepupae and pupae inside host nests, entering despite defensive behaviors by adult wasps. It has been recorded from the United States and Brazil, with confirmed host associations including multiple Polistes species.
Pachysomoides
Pachysomoides is a genus of ichneumon wasps in the family Ichneumonidae. These small parasitoid wasps specialize in attacking paper wasps (Polistes spp.) and related social wasps. Two species are documented in North America: P. fulvus, which ranges broadly across the continent, and P. stupidus, found in the southeastern United States. The genus exhibits gregarious parasitoid behavior, with multiple larvae sometimes developing on a single host.
Xenidae
twisted-wing parasites
Xenidae is a family of endoparasitic twisted-wing insects (Strepsiptera) comprising approximately 13 genera and over 120 described species. Members are obligate endoparasites primarily of social wasps and hornets (Hymenoptera: Vespidae), though some genera parasitize other wasp families including Sphecidae and Bembicidae. The family exhibits extreme sexual dimorphism: males are free-living with reduced forewings and functional hindwings, while females are neotenic, legless, and permanently embedded within their hosts with only a cephalothorax protruding. Molecular studies indicate substantial cryptic species diversity, with actual species numbers likely at least double current descriptions.