Kleptoparasite

A kleptoparasite is an animal that steals food or prey from another animal. Insect kleptoparasites include bees (often called Cuckoo bees) that lay their eggs in the cells of other bees. For example, Sharp-tailed Bees (bees in the Genus Coelioxys) are kleptoparasites as their larvae grow up on food stolen from Leaf-cutter Bees.

Other insects that show kleptoparasitism include some of the predatory bugs such as pond skaters. Several skaters can often be found feeding on a single prey item.

A pond skater (Gerris lacustris) sucks the fluid from an aphid unfortunate enough to fall onto the water surface.

Other names for (or types of) Kleptoparasite include:

• Cleptoparasite

Related terms

• Brood parasitism
• Ectoparasite
• Ectoparasitoid
• Endoparasite
• Endoparasitoid
• Parasite

Related groups of terms

• General biology

See other words beginning with K