''Tetrastichus'' is a genus of

hymenoptera Hymenoptera is a large order of insects, comprising the sawflies, wasps, bees, and ants. Over 150,000 living species of Hymenoptera have been described, in addition to over 2,000 extinct ones. Many of the species are parasitic. Females typi ...

insect Insects (from Latin ') are Hexapoda, hexapod invertebrates of the class (biology), class Insecta. They are the largest group within the arthropod phylum. Insects have a chitinous exoskeleton, a three-part body (Insect morphology#Head, head, ...

s of the family Eulophidae. '' Tetrastichus planipennisi'' is a

parasitoid In evolutionary ecology, a parasitoid is an organism that lives in close association with its host (biology), host at the host's expense, eventually resulting in the death of the host. Parasitoidism is one of six major evolutionarily stable str ...

of the emerald ash borer, a wood boring insect native to Asia which is an invasive species in North America. ''T. planipennisi'' is being evaluated as a

biological control Biological control or biocontrol is a method of controlling pests, whether pest animals such as insects and mites, weeds, or pathogens affecting animals or plants by using other organisms. It relies on predation, parasitism, herbivory, or o ...

agent.

Host species

The genus ''Tetrastichus'' parasitizes many different species of Lepidoptera, such as '' Pyralis farinalis''.

References

Key to Nearctic eulophid generaUniversal Chalcidoidea Database
Eulophidae Hymenoptera genera {{Eulophidae-stub