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Introduction: The Parasitic Way of Life and its Consequences

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Evolutionary Strategies of Parasitic Insects and Mites

Abstract

The parasitic mode of obtaining food is a major life strategy among arthropods. Insects which are parasitic on animals constitute about 10 percent of named species in the Animal Kingdom (Askew 1971). For many large groups perhaps only 25% of the world fauna has been described (e.g., Townes 1969, on Ichneumonidae, Matthews 1974, on Braconidae), so percentage representation in the Kingdom should be more than doubled. Insects and mites which are parasitic on plants are even more numerous. Therefore probably at least half of the animals on Earth are parasitic arthropods.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Entomology, University of Illinois, Urbana, Illinois, 61801, USA

    Peter W. Price

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  1. Department of Entomology, University of Illinois, Urbana, Illinois, USA

    Peter W. Price

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© 1975 Plenum Press, New York

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Price, P.W. (1975). Introduction: The Parasitic Way of Life and its Consequences. In: Price, P.W. (eds) Evolutionary Strategies of Parasitic Insects and Mites. Springer, Boston, MA. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4615-8732-3_1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4615-8732-3_1

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Boston, MA

  • Print ISBN: 978-1-4615-8734-7

  • Online ISBN: 978-1-4615-8732-3

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