parasitic or parasitoid?

[Karl Magnacca]

On 3 Oct 2005 at 10:19, Santhosh S.Nair wrote:
> Is the use of 'parasitoid hymenoptera' is more correct than 'parasitic
> hymenoptera'?.

'Parasitoid' refers to a parasite that invariably kills its host as a
matter of course, so yes it is more correct.  However, they are
frequently used interchangeably so chances are no one is going to get
upset if you use 'parasitic' outside of journal articles.  There are
also some groups (such as bethylids) that are borderline between
parasites and predators.

Karl
=====================
Karl Magnacca, USGS-BRD
PO Box 11, Hawaii Natl. Park, HI 96718
"Democracy used to be a good thing, but now it has
gotten into the wrong hands."   --Sen. Jesse Helms