Tick-parasitoid
Guides
Ixodiphagus
Ixodiphagus is a genus of minute chalcidoid wasps in the family Encyrtidae, comprising approximately 10–11 described species worldwide. These wasps are obligate parasitoids of ticks (order Ixodida), with females ovipositing into larval or nymphal tick hosts. The genus was erected by Leland Ossian Howard in 1907, with I. texanus as the type species. Ixodiphagus has been extensively studied as a potential biological control agent for medically and veterinary important tick species due to its unique host-specific biology.