''Aleiodes'' (Greek "not", "smooth", "appearance") is a genus of the family Braconidae of

parasitoid wasps 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 causi ...

described by Constantin Wesmael in 1838. They are also known as mummy-wasps. The female attacks caterpillars of various species, including many pests such as

Gypsy moth ''Lymantria dispar'', also known as the gypsy moth or the spongy moth, is a species of moth in the family Erebidae. ''Lymantria dispar'' is subdivided into several subspecies, with subspecies such as ''L. d. dispar'' and ''L. d. japonica'' bei ...

s and

tent caterpillar Tent caterpillars are moderately sized caterpillars, or moth larvae, belonging to the genus ''Malacosoma'' in the family Lasiocampidae. Twenty-six species have been described, six of which occur in North America and the rest in Eurasia. Some s ...

s, and then deposits eggs in the caterpillars. The eggs hatch and the wasp larva feeds on the caterpillar, leaving a hardened caterpillar skin, or mummy. The wasp pupates within the mummy and eventually the adult breaks out, leaving a small hole in the husk of the caterpillar. There are thousands of species, including: *'' Aleiodes cacuangoi'' named after Dolores Cacuango *'' Aleiodes colberti'' named after

Stephen Colbert Stephen Tyrone Colbert ( ; born May 13, 1964) is an American comedian, writer, producer, political commentator, actor, and television host. He is best known for hosting the satirical Comedy Central program '' The Colbert Report'' from 2005 ...

*'' Aleiodes coxalis'' *'' Aleiodes dangerlingi'' named after Dan Gerling *'' Aleiodes elleni'' named after

Ellen DeGeneres Ellen Lee DeGeneres ( ; born January 26, 1958) is an American comedian, television host, actress, writer, and producer. She starred in the sitcom ''Ellen'' from 1994 to 1998, which earned her a Primetime Emmy Award for " The Puppy Episode". Sh ...

*'' Aleiodes falloni'' named after Jimmy Fallon *'' Aleiodes frosti'' named after Robert Frost (American poet) *'' Aleiodes gaga'' named after

Lady Gaga Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta ( ; born March 28, 1986), known professionally as Lady Gaga, is an American singer, songwriter, and actress. She is known for her image reinventions and musical versatility. Gaga began performing as a teenag ...

*'' Aleiodes heterogaster'' type species of genus *'' Aleiodes kingmani'' named after

Eduardo Kingman Eduardo Kingman Riofrío (February 23, 1913 – November 27, 1997) was an Ecuadorian artist. He is considered one of Ecuador's greatest artists of the 20th century, among the art circles of other master artists such as Oswaldo Guayasamín and Cam ...

'' *''

Aleiodes shakirae ''Aleiodes shakirae'' is a species of parasitic wasp belonging to the family Braconidae. The species is named after Shakira Shakira Isabel Mebarak Ripoll ( , ; born 2 February 1977), professionally known by the mononym Shakira, is a Co ...

'' named after

Shakira Shakira Isabel Mebarak Ripoll ( , ; born 2 February 1977), professionally known by the mononym Shakira, is a Colombian singer and songwriter. Born and raised in Barranquilla, she has been referred to as the " Queen of Latin Music" and is n ...

(Colombian singer) *'' Aleiodes stewarti'' named after Jon Stewart (American comedian) *'' Aleiodes tashimai''

References

* * * * * Braconidae genera Biological pest control wasps {{Ichneumonoidea-stub