Families of Strepsiptera of British Columbia

FAMILIES OF STREPSIPTERA OF BRITISH COLUMBIA

Description of Family

Family Stylopidae (Fig. 101 & 102)

This is the largest and most widespread family in Strepsiptera with its member species being parasites of wasps and several families of solitary bees. Adult males are characterized by four-segmented tarsi with no claws, antenna with 4- or 6 segments and mandibles knife-shaped and crossed distally. The final instar females have a flattened but not shortened cephalothorax with 2-5 genital pores and brood canals with slit-shaped openings.

Two genera of Stylopidae are known from British Columbia: Stylops Kirby and Xenos Rossius. The genus Stylops, are parasites of Andrena sp., and characterized by adult males with 6-segmented antennae (namely, Stylops advarians Pierce (host presumably Andrena advarians Vier.), S. leechi Bohart (host: A. advarians Vier., and S. shannoni Pierce (host: A. hippotes Robertson). The single species of Xenos, namely, Xenos peckii Kirby (host: Polistes fuscatus (Fabricius)), is a parasite of Polistes sp., and is characterized by adult males with 4-segmented antennae.