Summary The parasites of the Acyrthosiphon‐Macrosiphum‐series (Homoptera: Aphididae) are investigated with regard to a relation between phylogeny and host specifity. The different species of genus Aphidius Nees (Hymenoptera: Aphidiidae) can be placed in 3 natural groups (Aphidius ervi‐, avenae‐, rosae‐group), of which each is specialized on a definite subgroup of aphid genera (Acyrthosiphon‐, Sitobion‐, Macrosiphum‐group). In addition, some general problems of host specifity of the family Aphidiidae are discussed: The influence of ethological and ecological characters on host binding is of secondary importance compared with phylogenetic relationship. The meaning of potential and effective host range is explained.
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M. Mackauer (1962) studied this question.
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