Suborder Apocrita Subfamily Encyrtinae Rank Species | Genus Ixodiphagus Order Hymenopterans | |
 | ||
Similar Hymenopterans, Encyrtidae, Amblyomma variegatum, Midichloria, Nuttalliella namaqua | ||
The chalcid wasp Ixodiphagus hookeri lays its eggs into ticks. It seems to use a symbiotic virus to weaken the tick's immune system.
Contents
Ticks from these genera are infected:
Because of the importance of I. hookeri as a natural enemy of ticks, it has been extensively researched.
Distribution
I. hookeri occurs worldwide (except Antarctica).
Synonyms
I. hookeri is also known under these synonyms:
References
Ixodiphagus hookeri Wikipedia(Text) CC BY-SA