Myrmecolacidae is an insect family of the order Strepsiptera. There are four genera and about 98 species in this family. Like all strepsipterans, they have a parasitic mode of development with males parasitizing ants while the females develop inside Orthoptera. The sexes differ greatly in morphology making it very difficult to match females to the better catalogued museum specimens of males.[1][2]
Myrmecolacidae | |
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Caenocholax fenyesi (male) | |
Scientific classification ![]() | |
Domain: | Eukaryota |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Arthropoda |
Class: | Insecta |
Order: | Strepsiptera |
Suborder: | Stylopidia |
Superfamily: | Stylopoidea |
Family: | Myrmecolacidae Saunders, 1872 |
Genera | |
See text. |
Genera
edit- Caenocholax Pierce, 1909
- Lychnocolax
- Myrmecolax
- Stichotrema Hofeneder, 1910
References
edit- ^ Halbert, N. R.; L. D. Ross; J. Kathirithamby; J. B. Woolley; R. R. Saff & J. S. Johnston (2001). "Phylogenetic analysis as a means of species identification within Myrmecolacidae (Strepsiptera)" (PDF). Tijdschrift voor Entomologie. 144: 179–186. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2012-04-02.
- ^ Kathirithamby J (2000). "Morphology of the female Myrmecolacidae (Strepsiptera) including the apron, and an associated structure analogous to the peritrophic matrix". Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society. 128 (3): 269–287. doi:10.1111/j.1096-3642.2000.tb00164.x.