The braconid and ichneumonid parasitoid wasps: biology, systematics, evolution and ecology

摘要

Braconid and ichneumonid wasps, as larvae parasitic in or on other arthropods, are some of the most fascinating insect groups. They are much neglected by entomologists, but as research reveals still new exciting aspects, they will probably receive much more attention in the coming decades. This book is a milestone and an excellent synopsis of all the latest knowledge on these wasps, especially much molecular work, which has been done in recent years elucidating the relationships of species and genera as well as subfamilies. A lot of taxonomic rearrangement has been necessary. These wasps nevertheless remain largely underexplored relative to most of the animal kingdom and even to other insects. A great number of species and larger groups are known only from one or a very few dried specimens in collections, and even in large genera, the biology of only one or a few common species is known. As many species are potentially useful against pests, this is also regrettable from a practical point of view. For example, some parasitoid wasp venom contains proteins poisonous for their hosts, so these proteins can possibly be used in insecticides or in gene-modified agricultural plants.