Ixodiphagus
| Ixodiphagus | |
|---|---|
| Adult Ixodiphagus hookeri wasp emerged from Ixodes ricinus nymph. Photo by Oscar Vorst, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons. | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Insecta |
| Order: | Hymenoptera |
| Family: | Encyrtidae |
| Subfamily: | Encyrtinae |
| Genus: | Ixodiphagus Howard, 1907 |
| Type species | |
| Ixodiphagus texanus Howard, 1907
| |
| Synonyms | |
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Ixodiphagus is a genus of encyrtid wasps (order Hymenoptera, superfamily Chalcidoidea) that are obligate parasitoids of ticks (order Ixodida). Females oviposit into larval or nymphal ticks; development resumes inside the nymph and the emerging adult wasps kill the host. Because of this unique biology, Ixodiphagus has been repeatedly investigated as a biological control agent for medically and veterinary important ticks.