Scelio
Encyclopedia
Scelio is a large genus (roughly 500 species), the largest within the family Scelionidae
, of parasitic
wasp
whose known target host include the eggs of grasshopper
s (Acrididae
, Orthoptera
). They are found worldwide and some species have been implemented as biological control
agents.
Scelionidae
The Hymenopteran family Scelionidae is a very large cosmopolitan group of exclusively parasitoid wasps, mostly small , often black, often highly sculptured, with elbowed antennae that have an 9- or 10-segmented flagellum...
, of parasitic
Parasitism
Parasitism is a type of symbiotic relationship between organisms of different species where one organism, the parasite, benefits at the expense of the other, the host. Traditionally parasite referred to organisms with lifestages that needed more than one host . These are now called macroparasites...
wasp
Wasp
The term wasp is typically defined as any insect of the order Hymenoptera and suborder Apocrita that is neither a bee nor an ant. Almost every pest insect species has at least one wasp species that preys upon it or parasitizes it, making wasps critically important in natural control of their...
whose known target host include the eggs of grasshopper
Grasshopper
The grasshopper is an insect of the suborder Caelifera in the order Orthoptera. To distinguish it from bush crickets or katydids, it is sometimes referred to as the short-horned grasshopper...
s (Acrididae
Acrididae
The Acrididae are the predominant family of grasshoppers, comprising some 10,000 of the 11,000 species of the entire suborder Caelifera. The Acrididae are best known because all locusts are of the Acrididae. The subfamily Oedipodinae is sometimes classified as a distinct family Oedipodidae in the...
, Orthoptera
Orthoptera
Orthoptera is an order of insects with paurometabolous or incomplete metamorphosis, including the grasshoppers, crickets and locusts.Many insects in this order produce sound by rubbing their wings against each other or their legs, the wings or legs containing rows of corrugated bumps...
). They are found worldwide and some species have been implemented as biological control
Biological pest control
Biological control of pests in agriculture is a method of controlling pests that relies on predation, parasitism, herbivory, or other natural mechanisms...
agents.