Consider the following : 1. Carabid beetles 2. Centipedes 3. Flies 4. Termites 5. Wasps Parasitoid species are found in how many of the above kind of organisms ?

Defines parasitism as a widespread interaction where one species benefits and the other is harmed (example: tick as parasite).

A student could apply this general definition to search for documented parasitic/parasitoid interactions involving beetles or specifically Carabidae in the literature.

States that alien species and biological interactions (including parasites) occur in all groups of plants and animals.

One can infer that parasitism as an interaction type is not restricted taxonomically and so look for records of parasites/parasitoids across insect families including carabids.

Lists beetles among insects (insects have diverse forms and ecological roles).

Knowing carabids are beetles, a student could combine this with the ubiquity of parasitism to prioritize checking entomological sources for parasitoids that use beetles as hosts.

Notes the enormous, incompletely known number of species on Earth and richness of biodiversity.

Given many undescribed interactions likely exist among the vast number of species, a student could reasonably suspect parasitoid-host relationships may be found in diverse beetle families and seek targeted host–parasitoid records for Carabidae.

Gives a clear definition/distinction of parasitism (host harmed, parasite benefits) and lists parasitism alongside predation—establishes the ecological category relevant to 'parasitoid'.

A student could use this definitional clue to ask whether any Diptera larval stages behave like parasites (harmful to a single host) and then look for insect examples that match 'parasitoid' criteria.

Lists insects (e.g., wasp) as examples—wasps are a well-known insect group with species that use other insects as hosts, showing that insect orders can include parasitoid life histories.

A student can generalize that if one insect order (Hymenoptera) has parasitoids, other insect orders (like Diptera) might also be worth checking for similar life histories.

Notes insects have short life cycles completed during favourable periods, implying distinct larval stages—parasitoid strategies often involve larval development within or on a host.

A student could combine this with the parasite definition to investigate whether any dipteran larvae develop inside a single host over their short life cycle (a hallmark of parasitoids).

Describes ecological interactions involving insect larvae (dragonfly larvae eaten by fish), illustrating that larval stages are ecologically important and interact closely with other species.

Use this pattern—larval stages interacting intimately with other species—to guide a search for dipteran larvae that develop in or on host organisms rather than free-living.

States that the vast majority of animal species are invertebrates, underscoring that diverse life histories (including specialized parasitic or parasitoid strategies) are common among invertebrates.

A student could reasonably infer that because invertebrates show wide life-history diversity, some dipteran taxa might plausibly evolve parasitoid strategies and so merit targeted checking.

Gives the definition and distinction of parasitism as an interaction where one species benefits and the host is harmed.

A student could apply this definition to investigate whether any wasp life-histories fit the parasitism pattern (e.g., developing in or on a host and harming it).

States that aliens (and generally) species occur as competitors, predators, pathogens and parasites across all groups of plants and animals.

Use the rule that parasitism can occur across animal groups to check whether insects/wasps are among groups known to host parasitic interactions.

Lists wasps explicitly as an example of insects (i.e., places wasps within the insect taxa).

Combine this with general statements about parasitism in animal groups to focus inquiry specifically on whether insect taxa (and therefore wasps) include parasitic life-histories.

Notes high diversity in various insect groups, implying many ecological roles and life-history strategies exist among insects.

A student could reason that high insect diversity increases the likelihood some lineages (including hymenopterans/wasps) evolved parasitoid strategies and then seek taxon-specific evidence.