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Table 1 Summary of estimates of parasitoid to host (P:H) ratios for four host insect genera

From: Quantifying the unquantifiable: why Hymenoptera, not Coleoptera, is the most speciose animal order

Focal host genus

# NAm species (# with parasitoid records)

P:H (overall)

P:H (genus-specialists only)

P:H (specialist) [including possible genus-specialists]

Genus-specialist families

Rhagoletis (Diptera: Tephritidae)

24 (16)

2.44

1.31

1.50

Braconidae; Diapriidae; Pteromalidae

Malacosoma (Lepidoptera: Lasiocampidae)

6 (6)

13.00

1.00

1.83

Braconidae; Eulophidae; Ichneumonidae; Platygastridae

Dendroctonus (Coleoptera: Curculionidae)

14 (8)

6.50

1.13

1.38

Braconidae; Ichneumonidae; Gasteruptiidae; Proctotrupidae; Pteromalidae; Platygastridae

Neodiprion (Hymenoptera: Diprionidae)

33 (21)

3.48

0.95

1.29

Ichneumonidae; Chrysididae

  1. Shown for each host genus are: the total number of North American (NAm) species, as well as the number with parasitoid records; the overall P:H, which includes generalist species; the genus-specialist P:H; and the genus-specialist P:H when “possible genus-specialists” were included. Parasitoid families that were among each group of genus-specialists are also listed