Stylops
Stylops is a genus of obligately endoparasitic insects in the family Stylopidae. Hosts are typically members of the order Hymenoptera.
The name "stylops", used without a capital "s", refers as a common name to any member of the order Strepsiptera, and not only the genus Stylops.
Description
Males are 2–3 mm long and black with white wings. Females have no limbs and are only seen from their head and thorax poking out of the host bee. Larvae are triungulin.
Life cycle
Stylops larvae emerge from their host bee while the host gathers pollen from flowers. The larvae then attach to other bees in order to be carried back to the nest. At the nest, the Stylops larvae enter the bodies of bee larvae and develop along with their host. Adult males leave their hosts to mate with females, who remain inside their host and hatch their eggs there.
Species
Many including:Stylops analis Perkins, 1918Stylops andrenaphilus Luna de Carvalho, 1974Stylops ater Reichert, 1914Stylops aterrimus Newport, 1851Stylops borcherti Luna de Carvalho, 1974Stylops dalii Curtis, 1828Stylops deserticola Medvedev, 1970Stylops dinizi Luna de Carvalho, 1974Stylops friesei Kirby, 1802Stylops gwynanae Günther, 1957Stylops hammella Perkins, 1918Stylops ibericus Luna de Carvalho, 1969Stylops kinzelbachi Luna de Carvalho, 1974Stylops liliputanus Luna de Carvalho, 1974Stylops lusohispanicus Luna de Carvalho, 1974Stylops madrilensis Luna de Carvalho, 1974Stylops maxillaris Pasteels, 1949Stylops melittae Kirby, 1802Stylops moniliaphagus Luna de Carvalho, 1974Stylops nevinsoni Perkins, 1918Stylops obenbergeri Ogloblin, 1923Stylops obsoletus Luna de Carvalho, 1974Stylops pacificus Bohart, 1936Stylops paracuellus Luna de Carvalho, 1974Stylops pasteelsi Luna de Carvalho, 1974Stylops praecocis Luna de Carvalho, 1974Stylops risleri Kinzelbach, 1967Stylops ruthenicus Schkaff, 1925Stylops salamancanus Luna de Carvalho, 1974Stylops spreta Perkins, 1918Stylops thwaitesi Perkins, 1918Stylops ventricosae Pierce, 1909Stylops warnckei Luna de Carvalho, 1974
The official seal, and later logo, of the Royal Entomological Society features a male Stylops.