Kinship effects in quasi-social parasitoids I: co-foundress number and relatedness affect suppression of dangerous hosts

Explanations for the highest levels of sociality typically invoke the concept of inclusive fitness. Sclerodermus, a genus of parasitoid hymenopterans, is quasi-social, exhibiting cooperative brood care without generational overlap or apparent division of labour. Foundress females successfully co-exploit hosts that are too large to suppress when acting alone and the direct fitness benefits of collective action may explain their cooperation,...