Twisted-wing-parasite
Guides
Elenchus
Planthopper Twistwing Parasites
Elenchus is a genus of parasitic insects in the family Elenchidae, order Strepsiptera. These insects are commonly known as planthopper twistwing parasites, reflecting their host associations and their membership in the twisted-wing parasite group. The genus was established by Curtis in 1831. Strepsipterans in this genus exhibit the extreme sexual dimorphism characteristic of the order: adult males are free-living with reduced wings and halteres, while females are endoparasitic and remain within their hosts.
Eupathocera lugubris
Eupathocera lugubris is a species of twisted-wing parasite (order Strepsiptera) in the family Xenidae. The species was originally described by Pierce in 1908 and is currently treated as a synonym of Paraxenos lugubris. Strepsipterans are obligate endoparasites of other insects, with this species likely parasitizing wasps or related hosts. The genus is part of the diverse and complex parasitic wasp-associated Strepsiptera fauna of North America.
Eupathocera westwoodii
Eupathocera westwoodii is a species of twisted-wing parasite in the order Strepsiptera. These insects are obligate endoparasites of other insects, with larvae entering hosts through joints or sutures. The species has been documented parasitizing wasps, including the Great Black Wasp (Sphex pensylvanicus). Females are neotenic and remain permanently within host abdomens, while males emerge as free-flying adults that live only a few hours and must mate within that brief window.
Leionotoxenos
Leionotoxenos is a genus of twisted-wing parasitoids in the family Xenidae. It was described by Pierce in 1909 and is currently treated as a synonym of Pseudoxenos. Members of this group are endoparasites of other insects, with females remaining larval and neotenic throughout their lives. The genus is part of the highly modified and morphologically unusual order Strepsiptera.
Leionotoxenos tigridis
Leionotoxenos tigridis is a species of twisted-wing parasitoid in the family Xenidae. The species was originally described as Pseudoxenos tigridis by Pierce in 1911 and later transferred to the genus Leionotoxenos. It is known from a small number of observations in North America, particularly from Illinois. As with all Strepsiptera, this species is an endoparasitoid of other insects.
Stylops
stylops
Stylops is a genus of obligately endoparasitic insects in the family Stylopidae, order Strepsiptera. Members are endoparasites of Hymenoptera, particularly bees in the family Andrenidae. The genus exhibits extreme sexual dimorphism: males are free-living with wings and functional limbs, while females are neotenic, legless, and remain permanently embedded within host abdomens with only the cephalothorax protruding. The genus has cosmopolitan distribution with numerous described species, though taxonomic status of many remains problematic due to reliance on poor female morphological characters.