Unlocking Sclerodermus knowledge: a comprehensive database on this unique quasisocial genus of parasitoids

The genus Sclerodermus is unique among parasitoid Hymenoptera because, unlike most solitary species, it exhibits quasi-social behaviour: groups of females parasitise the host, lay eggs on it and work together to take care of the brood. Here we have compiled a “Literature-database” of 278 studies from 1800 to 2023. The database was created using different databanks and cataloguing literature from different countries. A total of 28 words were used to form a pool of topics, which were assigned to each publication in order of importance, up to a maximum of four topic words per publication to indicate the principal subjects in the article. Each article was then assigned of one main topic selected among these four. The “Metadata-database” includes metadata from each study in terms of developmental time and brood size. Data (raw and mean) were extrapolated considering also, if detailed, the Sclerodermus species studied, the host species, the number of foundresses, the host size and the rearing conditions in which the tests were carried out (temperature, humidity, and photoperiod). When the data were not explicit in the text or in tables, they were obtained from the graphs, using the ENGAUGER DIGITALIZ application.