Wood-boring-insects
Guides
Bothrideridae
cocoon-forming beetles, dry bark beetles
Bothrideridae is a family of small to medium-sized beetles in the superfamily Coccinelloidea, commonly known as cocoon-forming beetles or dry bark beetles. Members are characterized by elongated, cylindrical to somewhat flattened bodies and are primarily found under tree bark in woodland habitats. The family has undergone significant taxonomic revision, with former subfamilies Teredinae, Xylariophilinae, and Anommatinae now placed in the separate family Teredidae. Bothrideridae has a worldwide distribution with greatest diversity in the Old World tropics. The family is notable for its ectoparasitoid larvae, which attack other wood-boring insects including cerambycid beetles, wood wasps, and carpenter bees. Several species, particularly in the genus Dastarcus, are important biocontrol agents used commercially to manage forest pests such as the Japanese pine sawyer (Monochamus alternatus), a vector of pine wilt disease.
Doryctinae
doryctine wasps
Doryctinae is a large, diverse subfamily of parasitoid wasps within Braconidae, comprising over 2000 species in 198 genera. Members range from 1 to 25 mm and exhibit remarkable morphological diversity, including many flightless or wingless species. The subfamily is characterized by distinctive structural features including a cyclostome mouth and spines on the foreleg tibia. Most species are idiobiont ectoparasitoids of wood-boring beetle larvae, though host associations vary considerably across the group.
Pseudorhyssa
Pseudorhyssa is a genus of ichneumonid wasps containing cleptoparasitic species that exploit the drill shafts of primary parasitoids to access hosts. The best-studied species, Pseudorhyssa sternata, parasitizes Siricid woodwasps by locating and utilizing oviposition holes made by the primary parasitoid Rhyssa persuasoria. Females detect host-infested trees through stimuli in larval frass, likely associated with symbiotic fungus, and locate specific drill shafts using secretions from the vaginal gland of the primary parasitoid.
Rhyssinae
Rhyssinae is a subfamily of parasitoid wasps within Ichneumonidae, comprising approximately 450 described species across eight genera worldwide. Members are characterized by extremely long ovipositors used by females to drill into wood and parasitize larvae of wood-boring insects, particularly Siricidae (woodwasps) and wood-boring beetles. The subfamily shows highest species diversity in the Oriental region, with significant representation in tropical forests of South America and Africa. Fossil evidence dates the subfamily to the Eocene, approximately 47 million years ago.
Schlettererius
Schlettererius is a genus of parasitoid wasps in the family Stephanidae. The best-studied species, S. cinctipes, is a parasitoid of wood-boring insects, particularly the invasive woodwasp Sirex noctilio in pine forests. Adults possess extremely long ovipositors used to drill through wood to reach host larvae. The genus has been used as a biological control agent and has shown evidence of transcontinental movement across North America, tracking the spread of its hosts.
Schlettererius cinctipes
Schlettererius cinctipes is a parasitoid wasp in the family Stephanidae, native to western North America and recently introduced to the eastern United States. It parasitizes wood-boring insects, with documented success in biological control programs against Sirex noctilio in pine plantations. The species possesses an elongated ovipositor adapted for reaching hosts deep within timber.