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How can some chalcid wasps produce many offspring from a single egg?
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Hymenoptera
An endangered rusty patched bumblebee (Bombus affinis) browsing on a wild bergamot flower.
Some chalcid wasps are able to produce many offspring from a single egg through a process known as polyembryony.
In this reproductive strategy, the embryo divides into several separate, identical parts at an early stage of development. Each of these individual parts then continues to develop into a distinct insect. This phenomenon is common among various parasitic Hymenoptera, including chalcids, encyrtids, and braconids. For example, in some species, a single egg deposited within a host can result in hundreds or even thousands of individual offspring. It is believed that this process is regulated by internal genetic or chemical factors.12