ENY 3005, Order Strepsiptera
Order Strepsiptera
Pronunciation: strep-SIP-ter-ra
Common name: twisted-winged parasites
Identifying characteristics:
Male, pictured above.
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Minute size, ranging from 0.5 - 4.0 mm.
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Front wings reduced to short, clublike structures.
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Hind wings membranous, fanshaped, with few veins.
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Bulging eyes on side of head.
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Antennae 4- to 7-segmented with 1 to 3 distinctive elongate projections.
Females
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Minute, saclike insects, frequently lacking appendages.
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Generally found and identified by occurrence on parasitized host.
There are 11 genera and 56 species of Strepsiptera in North America. Many
authorities use antennal and tarsal characters of the males to place these
species into the four families listed below. Other authorities lump all
species into the family Stylopidae and include these insects within the
order Coleoptera.
Owing to the paucity of these insects in our collections, no strepsipterans
will be included in the weekly identification quizzes for Principles of
Entomology.
Order Strepsiptera -- twisted-winged parasites
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Family Mengeidae (men-GAY-i-dee)
One species known from Texas. European species are parasites of thysanurans.
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Family Stylopidae (sty-LOW-pi-dee)
Most common of the strepsipterans with about 40 widely distributed
species. Most are parasites of andrenid and halictid bees; some parasitize
vespid and sphecid wasps.
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Family Halictophagidae (ha-lick-toe-FA-ji-dee)
The 14 North American species parasitize primarily spittlebugs, treehoppers,
and leafhoppers (Cercopidae, Membracidae, and Cicadellidae).
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Family Elenchidae (e-LEN-chi-dee)
The few species in this family parasitize planthoppers (Fulgoroidea).
References:
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Pages 206-207 in D. J. Borror and R. E. White. 1970. A Field Guide to the
Insects. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Co.
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Pages 269-270 in R. E. White. 1983. A Field Guide to Beetles of North America.
Boston: Houghton Mifflin Co.
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Pages 479-481 in D. J. Borror, C. A. Triplehorn, and N. F. Johnson. 1989.
An Introduction to the Study of Insects, 6th ed. Philadelphia: Saunders
College Publishing. 875 p.
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Page 237 in R. G. Bland and H. E. Jaques. 1978. How to Know the Insects,
3rd ed. Dubuque, Iowa: Wm. C. Brown Co. 409 p.
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Page 484 in H. V. Daly, J. T. Doyen, and A. H. Purcell III. 1998. Introduction
to Insect Biology and Diversity, 2nd ed. Oxford University Press. 680 p.
Links to other web sites
Return to ENY 3005 Index to Orders
Prepared by John L. Foltz,
University of Florida, Dept of Entomology & Nematology, 13 December 1998.
Modified 24 June 2004.