Wood-borer-parasite
Guides
Bothrideres cryptus
dry bark beetle
Bothrideres cryptus is a dry bark beetle in the family Bothrideridae. It is found in North America, with records from Ontario, Canada. This species inhabits the dry bark of dead oaks, where it functions as a parasitoid of cerambycid beetle larvae in the genus Parelaphidion.
Metapelma schwarzi
Metapelma schwarzi is a species of parasitic wasp in the family Eupelmidae, characterized by its relatively large size among chalcidoid wasps at approximately six millimeters in body length. The species is known to parasitize wood-boring beetles, particularly in the families Buprestidae and Cerambycidae. It has been documented from the southwestern United States, including Arizona and Texas.
Odontocolon
Odontocolon is a genus of ichneumon wasps in the subfamily Xoridinae, containing at least 40 described species. These wasps are parasitoids that target wood-boring beetle larvae and sawfly larvae living in tree bark. Females possess elongated ovipositors used to drill through wood to reach their hosts, while males lack this structure. The genus is distinguished by teeth on the hind femur and exhibits holarctic distribution patterns.
Odontocolon bicolor
Odontocolon bicolor is a species of ichneumon wasp in the subfamily Xoridinae, first described by Cresson in 1870. The genus Odontocolon is one of four genera in Xoridinae, all recognized as parasites of wood-boring beetles and/or Hymenoptera. Members of this genus are characterized by teeth on the hind femur and, in females, long ovipositors used to drill into wood to reach hosts. There are 23 species of Odontocolon found north of Mexico, with several being holarctic in distribution.
Odontocolon ochropus
Odontocolon ochropus is a species of ichneumon wasp in the subfamily Xoridinae, described by Townes in 1960. Like other members of its genus, it is a parasitoid of wood-boring beetles, utilizing its long ovipositor to reach hosts concealed within dead or dying wood. The species belongs to a group of 23 Odontocolon species found north of Mexico, several of which have holarctic distributions spanning the entire northern hemisphere.
Ripiphoridae
wedge-shaped beetles
Ripiphoridae is a cosmopolitan family of approximately 450 described species of beetles commonly known as wedge-shaped beetles. The family is notable for hypermetamorphic parasitoid development, a trait shared only with Meloidae among beetles. Host associations vary by subfamily: Ripiphorinae attack bees and wasps, Ripidiinae parasitize cockroaches, and Pelecotominae attack wood-boring beetle larvae. The family exhibits extreme morphological modifications including abbreviated elytra, sexually dimorphic antennae (flabellate or pectinate in males), and in some groups, wingless larviform females.