braconid
- noun
- /ˈbrækənɪd/
- Specialized
:
bracónido
- PHOTO (COLOR): A leafy shelter has been cut away to reveal the cocoons spun by braconid wasp parasitoids after they emerged from an Oecophorid caterpillar.
- braconid wasp
- species of braconid
Examples
-
Elsewhere in the east, we find that the overwhelming majority of "top dogs" of the insect world are parasitoid wasps, particularly those known as ichneumonids and braconids.
Academic text (1993) -
Braconids lay their eggs inside caterpillars, helping to control pest populations.
-
Farmers often introduce braconids into their fields to reduce the number of harmful insects.
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The small braconid wasp can significantly decrease the number of aphids on plants.
Synonyms
A very small wasp whose young grow inside other insects' eggs or young, helping to control pests
A very small wasp-like insect whose young live inside and eat other insects' eggs or baby insects
A tiny wasp that lays eggs in other insect eggs or young insects and helps control pests
A very small wasp that lays eggs in other insects' eggs or young and helps control pests
Surface Forms
Morphology
braconid = Braconidae (opaque) = bracon + id
Formed from a technical taxonomic name (Braconidae) with the specialist suffix '-id'; this formation is not guessable to an average B1 learner.
Etymology
Braconid comes from the wasp name Bracon plus the ending -id meaning 'belonging to', like in hominid. So a braconid is a wasp that belongs to the Bracon group, which is why the word names these small parasitic wasps used to help control pests.
