Editing Lepidoptera (section)

=== Parasitism ===
[[File:Macrothylacia rubi caterpillar with parasitoid larvae - Niitvälja bog.jpg|thumbnail|Parasitoid larva exits from the fox moth caterpillar]]
Only 42 species of [[parasitoid]] lepidopterans are known (1 [[Pyralidae]]; 40 [[Epipyropidae]]).<ref name="Resh and Carde"/>{{Rp|748}} The larvae of the [[Galleria mellonella|greater]] and [[lesser wax moth]]s feed on the [[honeycomb]] inside [[bee]] nests and may become [[pest (organism)|pest]]s; they are also found in [[bumblebee]] and [[wasp]] nests, albeit to a lesser extent. In northern Europe, the wax moth is regarded as the most serious parasitoid of the bumblebee and is found only in bumblebee nests. In some areas in southern England, as much as 80% of nests can be destroyed.<ref>{{cite book|last= Benton|first= Frank|title= The honey bee: a manual of instruction in apiculture|trans-title= Europe's best known butterflies. Description of the most important species and instructions for recognizing and collecting butterflies and caterpillars|publisher= Oestergaard Verlag|volume= 1–6, 33|pages= 113–114|year= 1895|url= https://books.google.com/books?id=VqZbAAAAMAAJ&pg=PA113|access-date= 11 September 2020|archive-date= 31 May 2021|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20210531114818/https://books.google.com/books?id=VqZbAAAAMAAJ&pg=PA113|url-status= live}}</ref> Other parasitic larvae are known to prey upon [[cicada]]s and [[leaf hopper]]s.<ref name="Rubinoff">{{cite journal|last1=Rubinoff|first1= Daniel|last2= Haines|first2= William P.|year= 2005|title=Web-spinning caterpillar stalks snails|volume= 309|issue= 5734|page= 575|journal= Science|doi= 10.1126/science.1110397|pmid= 16040699|s2cid= 42604851}}</ref>

<!--something VERY wrong with imagemap, only gives Compsilura concinnata wherever cursor points; file size nominally 796 × 671 pixels. The common name for this species is also outdated and they are now known as Spongy Moths. -->
<imagemap> 
File: Parasitism_in_Gypsy_moths.svg|thumb|center|500px| The different parasitoids affecting the spongy moth (''Lymantaria dispar''): The stage they affect and eventually kill and its duration are denoted by arrows.
rect 11 106 222 135 [[Brachymeria intermedia]]
rect 11 146 222 176 [[Coccygomimus instigator]] 
rect 3 515 222 535 [[Compsilura concinnata]]
rect 3 540 222 560[[Parasetigena|Parasetigena silvestris]]
rect 185 600 385 650 [[Blepharipa|Blepharipa pratensis]]
rect 370 560 650 610 [[Aphantorhaphopsis samerensis]]
rect 370 612 650 630 [[Glyptapanteles liparidis]]
rect 370 632 650 650 [[Meteorus pulchricornis]]
rect 600 100 770 150 [[Anastatus disparis]]
rect 450 400 780 440 [[Cotesia melanoscelus]]
rect 450 442 780 465 [[Glyptapanteles porthetriae]]
rect 450 467 780 490 [[Hyposoter tricoloripes]]
rect 450 492 780 520 [[Phobocampe disparis]]
desc bottom-left
</imagemap>

In reverse, moths and butterflies may be subject to [[parasitic wasp]]s and [[flies]], which may lay eggs on the caterpillars, which hatch and feed inside its body, resulting in death. Although, in a form of parasitism called idiobiont, the adult paralyzes the host, so as not to kill it but for it to live as long as possible, for the parasitic larvae to benefit the most. In another form of parasitism, koinobiont, the species live off their hosts while inside (endoparasitic). These parasites live inside the host caterpillar throughout its life cycle or may affect it later on as an adult. In other orders, koinobionts include flies, a majority of [[coleopteran]], and many [[hymenoptera]]n parasitoids.<ref name="Resh and Carde"/>{{Rp|748–749}} Some species may be subject to a variety of parasites, such as the [[spongy moth]] (''Lymantaria dispar''), which is attacked by a series of 13 species, in six different taxa throughout its life cycle.<ref name="Resh and Carde"/>{{Rp|750}}

In response to a parasitoid egg or larva in the caterpillar's body, the [[Hemocyte|plasmatocyte]]s, or simply the host's cells can form a multilayered capsule that eventually causes the endoparasite to [[asphyxiate]]. The process, called encapsulation, is one of the caterpillar's only means of defense against parasitoids.<ref name="Resh and Carde"/>{{Rp|748}}