Stored-product-protection
Guides
Cephalonomia
Cephalonomia is a genus of parasitoid wasps in the family Bethylidae, containing over 20 described species. Species within this genus are primarily known as biological control agents targeting beetle pests in stored grain and agricultural systems. C. stephanoderis is extensively used against the coffee berry borer (Hypothenemus hampei) in coffee-producing regions, while C. waterstoni and C. tarsalis target stored product beetles such as Laemophloeus ferrugineus and Oryzaephilus surinamensis. These wasps exhibit idiobiont parasitoid biology, with females attacking host larvae or pupae.
Dinarmus
Dinarmus is a genus of chalcidoid wasps in the family Pteromalidae with nearly cosmopolitan distribution. Species in this genus are larval-pupal ectoparasitoids of bruchid beetles (Chrysomelidae: Bruchinae), particularly pests of stored legume seeds such as cowpea. The genus includes economically important biological control agents, notably D. basalis and D. vagabundus, which are deployed in integrated pest management programs targeting Callosobruchus species. Research on D. basalis has revealed complex host discrimination behaviors, facultative superparasitism, and olfactory host location mechanisms.
Eupelmus
Eupelmus is a large genus of chalcidoid wasps in the family Eupelmidae, comprising over 330 species with cosmopolitan distribution. Species exhibit dual life histories: most are ectoparasitoids attacking larval and nymphal stages of diverse holometabolous insects, while some are phytophagous with larvae feeding on plant tissues. The genus has been subject to extensive taxonomic revision, with molecular studies challenging the traditional three-subgenus classification (Eupelmus, Episolindelia, Macroneura) in favor of approximately twelve species groups. Several species have demonstrated potential for biological control of agricultural pests.