Wasp-parasite
Guides
Conopinae
thick-headed flies
Conopinae is a subfamily of flies within the family Conopidae, commonly known as thick-headed flies. Members are characterized by their distinctive head shape, with a broad, inflated frons that gives the group its common name. The subfamily includes two tribes: Conopini (genera Conops and Leopoldius) and Physocephalini (genera Physocephala and Physoconops). These flies are known for their parasitoid life history, with females attacking various hymenopteran hosts.
Eupathocera
Eupathocera is a genus of twisted-wing parasites in the order Strepsiptera, family Xenidae. Currently considered a synonym of Paraxenos, species historically placed in this genus are obligate endoparasites of insects. As with other strepsipterans, they exhibit extreme sexual dimorphism and complex life cycles involving host manipulation.
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.
Eusapyga verticalis
Eusapyga verticalis is a species of sapygid wasp in the family Sapygidae. Sapygid wasps are cleptoparasitic, meaning females lay eggs in the nests of other solitary bees and wasps, where their larvae consume the host's provisions. The species is part of a small family of wasps that are relatively poorly studied compared to their better-known relatives in the families Mutillidae and Scoliidae.
Melittobia
Melittobia is a genus of tiny parasitoid wasps in the family Eulophidae, notable for extreme polymorphism, complex social behaviors, and highly female-biased sex ratios. Females exhibit three distinct morphs—winged 'fliers,' short-winged 'jumpers,' and wingless 'crawlers'—determined by larval density rather than genetics. Males are blind, flightless, and comprise only about 5% of offspring, produced asexually through arrhenotokous parthenogenesis. The genus attacks prepupae and pupae of solitary bees, wasps, and other insects in their hosts' nests, with some species also parasitizing fruit flies and flesh flies. Several species are well-studied model organisms for genetics, developmental biology, and behavioral ecology, though taxonomic confusion persists due to extreme morphological plasticity.
Myopa clausa
Thick-headed Fly
Myopa clausa is a species of thick-headed fly in the family Conopidae, a group of parasitic flies known for their stout build and broad heads. Like other conopids, this species is an internal parasite of bees and wasps. The genus Myopa is seldom recorded, partly due to identification difficulties.
Myopa vesiculosa
Myopa vesiculosa is a species of thick-headed fly in the family Conopidae, first described by Thomas Say in 1823. The genus Myopa comprises internal parasitoids of bees and wasps, with females intercepting hosts in flight to oviposit eggs between abdominal segments. Species within Myopa are generally poorly recorded, partly due to identification difficulties.
Sphenometopa
Sphenometopa is a genus of flesh flies (Sarcophagidae) in the subfamily Miltogramminae, established by Townsend in 1908. Members of this genus are parasitoid flies, with larvae that develop in the nests of solitary bees and wasps. The genus is part of a diverse group of kleptoparasitic or parasitoid sarcophagids that exploit the provisions of host insects rather than carrion.
Xenos bicolor
Xenos bicolor is a species of twisted-wing parasite in the family Xenidae, order Strepsiptera. Like other strepsipterans, it is an obligate endoparasite that develops within the bodies of host insects. The genus Xenos is known to parasitize wasps, particularly paper wasps in the family Vespidae. Strepsipterans exhibit extreme sexual dimorphism and reduced morphology, with neotenic females remaining permanently embedded in host abdomens.
Zodion
thick-headed flies
Zodion is a genus of thick-headed flies in the family Conopidae. These flies are notable for their parasitic lifestyle, with females attacking solitary wasps in mid-air to deposit eggs between the host's abdominal plates. The larvae develop as internal parasites, eventually killing the host. Species in this genus are relatively small, measuring 5-7 millimeters in length, and are found in North America and Europe.