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= Caenocholax fenyesi = Caenocholax fenyesi is a species of twisted-winged insects in the order Strepsiptera and the family Myrmecolacidae. It is distributed sporadically throughout North, Central, and South America.

Taxonomy
[Hayward et al 2011.]

Morphology
C. fenyesi displays unique heterotrophic heteronomy, in which males and females parasitize different hosts. During development, males parasitize ants and females parasitize members of Orthoptera, which includes crickets, grasshoppers, and mantids.

Adults
Adults have different morphology, displaying extreme sexual dimorphism.

Males
Male strepsipterans are free-living.

Females
Female strepsipterans are endoparasitic.

Distribution
C. fenyesi has been found to have a wide Neotropical distribution throughout North America, Central America, and South America. In the United States, it has been found in Florida, Louisiana, Mississippi, Arizona, Georgia, Alabama, and Texas.

Habitat
Strepsipterans are endoparasites of seven orders and 34 families of insects.

Feeding
Strepsipterans are obligate endoparasites on other insects as larvae.

Reproduction and Development
[Male instars and larvae described by Cook et al (1998).]

First Instar
[From Cook et al 1998, International Journal of Insect Morphology and Embryology.]

Secondary Instar
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Tertiary Instar
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Biological Control
The use of C. fenyesi as an agent for biological control has been demonstrated with the red imported fire ant, S. invicta .

Red Imported Fire Ants (S. invicta)
S. invicta was introduced into the United States from South America in the early 1900s and have expanded their range to cover more than 129.5 million hectares. Chemical insectisides are commonly used for controlling their populations, but because S. invicta has no natural enemies in North America, this is only a temporary solution and many biological control agents have been suggested, including C. fenyesi. However, this parasite of fire ants has a low rate of parasitization and currently more research is required to determine if C. fenyesi could be used as a reliable biocontrol of S. invicta.