A parasitoid doesn’t just live off its host. It grows inside it, then kills it. That single trait separates a parasitoid from an ordinary parasite.
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Which of These Are Parasitoids?
A real UPSC 2024 question, only 3 of 5 groups qualify
Carabid BeetlesYES
CentipedesNO — predators
FliesYES
TermitesNO
WaspsYES
What makes a parasitoid different: its larvae develop on or inside a single host, and eventually kill it — unlike a parasite, which usually keeps its host alive.
🏛️ Must Know
What a Parasitoid Actually Is
- Definition A parasitoid’s larvae develop on or within a single host, eventually killing it. This sets it apart from a typical parasite, which usually keeps its host alive.
- Not a Predator A parasitoid also differs from a predator. A predator kills its prey quickly and needs many individuals to survive; a parasitoid needs only one host to complete its development.
- Classic Groups Wasps, especially the Ichneumonidae and Braconidae families, and flies, especially the Tachinidae, are the best-known parasitoid groups.
- Beetles Too Some carabid beetle genera also include genuine parasitoid species, whose larvae develop at the expense of other insects.
🏘️ Good to Know
Who Isn’t a Parasitoid, and Why It Matters
- Centipedes Centipedes are predators, not parasitoids. They actively hunt and kill their prey, rather than developing on or inside a single host.
- Termites Termites have no known parasitoid species. They are social insects that feed on dead plant material, not on other living hosts.
- Biological Pest Control Because parasitoid wasps and flies kill their hosts, farmers and gardeners use them as natural pest control. Commercial biological pest control using parasitoid wasps dates back to the 1920s.
Test Yourself
Previous Year Questions
- On identifying which organisms have parasitoid species, asked as: “Parasitoid species are found in how many of the above kind of organisms?” (UPSC CSP 2024, GS Paper I).
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