Hornet Strepsipteran vs Cricket Strepsipteran

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute Hornet Strepsipteran Cricket Strepsipteran
Scientific Name Xenos myrapetrus Caenocholax fenyesi
Order Strepsiptera Strepsiptera
Family Xenidae Myrmecolacidae
Size 4.0-6.0 mm (males) 1.5-3.0 mm (males)
Habitat Woodlands Underground
Diet Parasites Parasites
Regions Africa North America, Central America
Conservation Not Evaluated Not Evaluated

Hornet Strepsipteran

A large strepsipteran parasite of hornets and social wasps in tropical Africa. Males have distinctive fan-shaped hindwings.

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Did You Know?

Male strepsipterans have large eyes with only about 50 facets each, giving them the coarsest visual resolution of any insect.

Cricket Strepsipteran

An unusual strepsipteran whose males parasitize ants while females parasitize crickets. This dual-host system is unique among parasites.

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Did You Know?

Males and females of this species parasitize completely different insect orders, a phenomenon unique to the family Myrmecolacidae.