Lue, Chia-Hua;Driskell, Amy C.;Leips, Jeff;Buffington, Matthew L.
Leptopilina
Sign in to saveLeptopilina is a genus of parasitoid wasp in the family Figitidae. The genus is best known for the three Drosophila parasitoids Leptopilina boulardi, Leptopilina heterotoma and Leptopilina clavipes, used to study host-parasite immune interactions. The venom released by L. heterotoma during oviposition contains virus-like particles that delay host larval development and suppress the host cellular immune response. There is no evidence that these virus-like particles are the products of viral DNA as described in other parasitoid taxa.
Museum specimens
- Specimen records
- 112
- With media
- 10
- Family
- Figitidae
- Collections
- USNM, INHS, ABS, KU
- Recorded in
- United States, Puerto Rico, Peru
Wikidata facts
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- taxon name
- Leptopilina
- taxon rank
- genus
- Commons category
- Leptopilina
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Encyclopedic overview
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Leptopilina is a genus of parasitoid wasp in the family Figitidae. The genus is best known for the three Drosophila parasitoids Leptopilina boulardi, Leptopilina heterotoma and Leptopilina clavipes, used to study host-parasite immune interactions. The venom released by L. heterotoma during oviposition contains virus-like particles that delay host larval development and suppress the host cellular immune response. There is no evidence that these virus-like particles are the products of viral DNA as described in other parasitoid taxa.
Leptopilina japonica is a parasitoid of Drosophila suzukii which is an important pest in fruit production. It was first captured in November 2020 as bycatch from a Vespa mandarinia trap in Washington State - the first find of this species in the United States. This may help to control D. suzukii in North America.
Excerpted from Wikipedia’s “Leptopilina” article, available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence.