''Leptopilina'' is a genus of
parasitoid wasp
Parasitoid wasps are a large group of hymenopteran superfamilies, with all but the wood wasps (Orussoidea) being in the wasp-waisted Apocrita. As parasitoids, they lay their eggs on or in the bodies of other arthropods, sooner or later causin ...
in the family
Figitidae
Figitidae is a family of parasitoid wasps. The full diversity of this wasp family is not yet known, but about 1400 species have been described to over 130 genera. For example, the largest subfamily, Eucoilinae (previously considered as a separ ...
. The genus is best known for the three
Drosophila
''Drosophila'' () is a genus of flies, belonging to the family Drosophilidae, whose members are often called "small fruit flies" or (less frequently) pomace flies, vinegar flies, or wine flies, a reference to the characteristic of many speci ...
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.
''
L. japonica'' is a
parasitoid of ''
Drosophila suzukii
''Drosophila suzukii'', commonly called the spotted wing drosophila or SWD, is a fruit fly. ''D. suzukii'', originally from southeast Asia, is becoming a major pest species in America and Europe, because it infests fruit early during the ripening ...
'' which is an important
pest in
fruit production
The horticulture industry embraces the production, processing and shipping of and the market for fruits and vegetables. As such it is a sector of agribusiness and industrialized agriculture. Industrialized horticulture sometimes also includes the ...
.
First captured in November 2020 as
bycatch from a ''
Vespa mandarinia'' trap in
Washington State
Washington (), officially the State of Washington, is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the Western United States. Named for George Washington—the first U.S. president—the state was formed from the western part of the Washington ...
- the first find of this species in the United States.
This may help to control ''D. suzukii'' in North America.
References
{{Taxonbar, from=Q16984384
Hymenoptera genera