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Also created and published "Diachasmimorpha" genus stub page

Originally created the Diachasma stub page, that turned out to be the wrong genus, fixed within article too!

Diachasmimorpha Laungicauta
This article did not exist, I wanted to create an article that described D. Laungicauta because it is a commonly used biological agent for insect control and I felt that a wikipedia would be appropriate. Since it is still being researched and new information is coming out about it, I felt that this article should be accurate and up to date. From here on out, I found a great article on the life cycle, I would like to continue to edit that portion and make it more complete.

Draft of whole article
(what I edited for class).Newest unpublished work is in bold

Diachasmimorpha longicaudata is a solitary species of parasitoid wasps and an endoparasitoid of tephritid fruit fly larvae. D. longicaudata is native to many countries of Southeast Asia and subtropical regions and has also been introduced to many other countries as a method of biological control. It is now considered the most extensively used parasitoid for biocontrol in both the Southern portion of the United States and Latin America. D. longicaudata is especially useful for agricultural purposes in the control of fruit flies as it is easily mass-reared and has the ability to infect a variety of hosts within the genus Bactrocera. Although in the state of FL it occasionally oviposits in grapefruit. This has resulted in need for quarantines on grapefruit shipped to internationally as well as domestically. Research is ongoing to determine morphological distinctions of this species. It is likely several biological species separated by both reproductive isolation and morphological characteristics such as wing geometry.

Distribution
Diachasmimorpha longicaudata originated in the Indo-pacific region of Asia. It has expanded into numerous other subtropical regions as a result of the use of the organisms in pest control. Diachasmimorpha longicaudata has disseminated into many countries worldwide including United States, Colombia, Costa Rica, Guatemala, El Salvador, Nicaragua, and Trinidad. Having first been introduced to the United States in 1948 in Florida, it has developed stable colonies in Hawaii and Florida in the United States.

Morphology
Diachasmimorpha as a genus has been traditionally been define by the morphology of their the apically sinuate ovipositor. D. longicaudata. has a body length of between 2.8 and 5.4mm. The adult female is larger than the male with a body length of up to 5.4mm. The male body length is up to 4.0 mm. The body form of both males and females is a reddish-brown color. The antennae on both males and females are longer than the body itself. Females have an ovidepositer that is also longer than the body. Wings are clear. The gaster of males and females differs slightly with the female having a dorsal central black band while the gaster of the male has a dark brown to black dorsal posterior.

Three cryptic species have been identified for D. longicaudata. based on genetic analysis as well as geometric differences wing venation geometry. In one study of these three cryptic species, it was found in forced-contact mating, that reproduction was rare and resulted in sterile female offspring. Subspecies have also been reported based on differing geographical areas with high variation being associated variation of resources. As many as five subspecies have previously been identified around the world and have been primarily characterized by color.

Life cycle


'''Both males and females are solitary, with females as endoparasitoids. Third instar tephritid fruit fly larvae are the typical hosts. ' Female adults of D. longicaudata'' are attracted to fermenting fruit and then are able to find larvae by sound. The female then lays her eggs inside of the larvae. Females lay 13-24 eggs per day using her elongated ovipositor to reach the fly larvae. Typically only one egg is laid per instar larvae with exceptions when hosts are insufficient; however only one pupa will reach maturity. Eggs take between two to five days to hatch and will take 18–23 days to reach adulthood. '''Male parasitoids develop faster than female, emerging two to three days before females from their host. '''

Symbiotic virus
Diachasmimorpha longicaudata entomopoxvirus (DlEPV) is a notable symbiotic virus that affects Diachasmimorpha longicaudata. DlEPV has a double-stranded DNA genome of 250–300 kb A-T rich with more than 60 of the genome being A-T.

During oviposition, the parasitic wasp infects tephritid fruit fly with an DlEPV as well as rhabdovirus(DlRhV). Both DlEPV and DlRhV replicate within the epidermal cells of their new host. These viruses found within the adult wasps and retained in subsequent generations. This is the first symbiotic EPV described to date from a parasitic wasp.