Copidosoma
| Copidosoma | |
|---|---|
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Class: | Insecta |
| Order: | Hymenoptera |
| Family: | Encyrtidae |
| Subfamily: | Encyrtinae |
| Genus: |
Copidosoma Ratzeburg, 1844 |
| Type species | |
|
Copidosma boucheanum Ratzeburg, 1844 |
|
| Species | |
|
209 (see text for notable examples) |
|
| Synonyms | |
209 (see text for notable examples)
Copidosoma is a genus of chalcid wasps, which are parasitoids of Lepidoptera. The wasps are polyembryonic, depositing one or two eggs into their host which then develop into multiple offspring and have a soldier caste and a reproductive caste.
Copidosoma has over 200 species, according to the Natural History Museum of London's Universal Chalcidoidea Database. Among these is Copidosoma floridanum, known for having the largest recorded brood of any parasitoidal insect, at 3,055 individuals, and for having its genome sequenced by the Human Genome Sequencing Center as part of the i5K project.
They are mainly polyembryonic parasitoids of the caterpillars of Lepidoptera and have been deliberately introduced into many areas as biological control agents for agricultural pests, e.g. Copidosoma floridanum was introduced to Hawaii to control the tomato looper (Chrysodeixis chalcites) while Copidosoma koehleri is used extensively in control of the potato tuber moth (Phthorimaea operculella) and Copidosoma primulum has been used in China to control the cotton bollworm (Helicoverpa armigera) in wheat crops.
The wasps of the genus Copidosoma are also of interest because they are polyembryonic, i.e. more than one embryo can be found in a single egg, and they have developed a caste system where an embryo can develop into a reproductive adult or a soldier caste. The wasp lays its egg onto the host moth's egg and after the caterpillar hatches it undergoes a number of instar stages until it reaches its final instar and during this time the wasp's egg produces as many as 3000 embryos through cloning, these form an assemblage called a polymorula and live as external endoparasitoids on the host.
...
Wikipedia