Trichogrammatidae

Guides

• Aphelinoidea

  Aphelinoidea is a genus of minute wasps in the family Trichogrammatidae, described by A.A. Girault in 1911. Species are egg parasitoids of leafhoppers (Hemiptera: Cicadellidae), with several species of economic importance as biological control agents. The genus has an almost cosmopolitan distribution. Notable hosts include the beet leafhopper (Circulifer tenellus), a vector of beet curly top virus affecting crops such as tomatoes, sugar beets, and peppers. Two species, A. anatolica and A. turanica, were introduced from Iran into California for biological control and became established. The genus reproduces by arrhenotoky, where unmated females produce only male offspring.

  egg-parasitoidbiological-controlleafhopperTrichogrammatidaearrhenotokyagricultural-pest-managementbeet-curly-top-viruscryptic-speciesmolecular-taxonomy

• Burksiella

  Burksiella is a genus of minute egg parasitoids in the family Trichogrammatidae (Hymenoptera: Chalcidoidea), established by De Santis in 1957. The genus belongs to the tribe Chaetostrichini within the subfamily Oligositinae. Species of Burksiella are known to parasitize eggs of leafhoppers, particularly sharpshooters in the tribe Proconiini (Hemiptera: Cicadellidae). The genus has been recorded from North and South America, including the western United States, Florida, and Bolivia.

  egg-parasitoidleafhopper-parasitesharpshooter-parasitebiological-controlTrichogrammatidaeChalcidoideaHymenopteraNorth-AmericaSouth-AmericaCicadellidae-host

• Draeculacephala inscripta

  Waterlettuce Leafhopper

  Draeculacephala inscripta is a leafhopper species in the family Cicadellidae, first described by Van Duzee in 1915. It is commonly known as the Waterlettuce Leafhopper due to its association with aquatic and semi-aquatic host plants. The species has been recorded from multiple U.S. states including Arkansas, Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, and Hawaii, as well as being present in California where it has been studied as a host for egg parasitoids. Its eggs serve as hosts for several parasitoid wasp species in the families Mymaridae and Trichogrammatidae.

  leafhopperCicadellidaeaquaticparasitoid-hostwaterlettuceUnited-StatesHawaiiCaliforniaFloridabiological-controlegg-parasitoidMymaridaeTrichogrammatidae

• Oligosita

  Oligosita is a genus of minute egg parasitoid wasps in the family Trichogrammatidae, established by Walker in 1851. Members of this genus are cosmopolitan in distribution and have been documented attacking eggs of diverse host groups including Coleoptera, Hemiptera, Lepidoptera, and Thysanoptera. Specific species have been recorded as parasitoids of leafhopper eggs (Cicadellidae) in agricultural and natural systems across Italy, China, and North America. The genus is characterized by its small body size typical of trichogrammatids and distinctive morphological features used in species-level identification.

  egg-parasitoidTrichogrammatidaebiological-controlHymenopteracosmopolitanleafhopper-parasitoid

• Oligositini

  Oligositini is a tribe of minute parasitoid wasps within the family Trichogrammatidae, established by Viggiani in 1971. Members of this tribe are classified in the subfamily Oligositinae. These chalcid wasps are among the smallest known insects, with most species measuring less than 1 mm in length. The tribe is distinguished by specific wing venation patterns and antennal structures that separate it from related trichogrammatid tribes.

  HymenopteraChalcidoideaTrichogrammatidaeparasitoid-waspsmicrohymenoptera

• Pseudoligosita

  Pseudoligosita is a genus of minute parasitoid wasps in the family Trichogrammatidae, first described by Girault in 1913. Species in this genus are egg parasitoids, attacking the eggs of various insects including leafhoppers and planthoppers. Several species have been studied for their potential as biological control agents against agricultural pests. The genus is distributed across multiple continents including North America, South America, Asia, and the Middle East.

  parasitoidegg-parasitoidbiological-controlTrichogrammatidaeleafhopper-parasite

• 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