Diet: The larvae and adult females are parasites that live inside the bodies of corn leafhoppers. They feed on the body fluids of their hosts. Adult males are free-living and do not eat.

Are Strepsiptera parasitoids?

Strepsiptera are obligate endoparasitoids that exhibit extreme sexual dimorphism and parasitize seven orders and 33 families of Insecta. ... The ability of strepsipterans to parasitize a wide range of hosts, in spite of being endoparasitoids, is perhaps due to their unique immune avoidance system.

Where are Strepsiptera found?

Life History & Ecology. Most Strepsiptera (also known as twisted-wing parasites) live as internal parasites of bees, wasps, grasshoppers, leafhoppers, and other members of the order Hemiptera.