The genera Colpixys and Xiphentedon are revised. Both genera are of Afrotropical distribution and are very similar to Entedon, but distinguished by a median strip or furrow on the propodeum replacing ...the median carina of Entedon. The genus Xiphentedon is characterized by the complete lateral propodeal sulci delimiting convex submedian areas, prosternum with a flange, axillula with indentate projection, and densely hairy central mesopectus. The subgenus Cederholmia Gumovsky, 1997 of Entedon is considered a junior synonym of Xiphentedon, so two of its species are moved to the genus as X. halli (Gumovsky, 1997) comb. nov. and X. danielssoni (Gumovsky, 1997) comb. nov. The genus Colpixys is characterized by the lack of characters of Xiphentedon, but also by the broadly sculptured propodeum with the deep median furrow delimited laterally by two sinuous margins. Three (one new) species are recognized in Colpixys and sixteen (thirteen new) species allocated to three groups (kayovei, danielssoni and forceps), are assigned to Xiphentedon. The new species are: Colpixys eburnus sp. nov. from Ivory Coast and the Republic of South Africa (RSA), Xiphentedon neserorum sp. nov. from RSA, X. simoni sp. nov. from Tanzania, X. dewittei sp. nov. and X. musimba sp. nov. from the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), X. jeanyvesi sp. nov. from Tanzania, the Central African Republic (CAR) and RSA, X. wieringai sp. nov. from Gabon and Ivory Coast, X. kivuensis sp. nov. from DRC, X. palabora sp. nov. from RSA, X. sangha sp. nov. from CAR, X. nimba sp. nov. from Guinea, X. forceps sp. nov. from Ivory Coast, Benin and RSA, X. gerardi sp. nov. from Benin, DRC and RSA, and X. acutigena sp. nov. from Ivory Coast, DRC, Tanzania and RSA. Morphological peculiarities and possible relationships of Colpixys, Xiphentedon, Entedon and some other genera, are discussed.
Baeomorphinae Yoshimoto, 1975, based on BaeomorphaBrues, 1937, is transferred from Tetracampidae Förster, 1856 and recognized as a junior synonym of Rotoitidae Bouček and Noyes, 1987 (Hymenoptera: ...Chalcidoidea) syn. nov. following ICZN (1999) article 35.5. Inclusions in Taimyr amber (84–100 Ma) assigned to Baeomorpha are reviewed and the following eleven new species, all of Gumovsky, are described: B. avamicasp. nov., B. baikurenissp. nov., B. bianellussp. nov., B. caelepssp. nov., B. gracilissp. nov., B. ingenssp. nov., B. quattorduosp. nov., B. quattorunosp. nov., B. popovisp. nov., B. yantardakhsp. nov., and B. zherikhinisp. nov. The recognized species are differentiated in separate keys to females and males and illustrated through microphotography. Two of four previously described Baeomorpha species from Campanian Canadian amber are synonymized: B. distincta Yoshimoto and B. elongata Yoshimoto under B. ovatata Yoshimoto (syn. nov.). One enigmatic rotoitid inclusion, which differs from Baeomorpha species in the possession of very short stigmal vein, is described as Taimyromorpha pusilla Gumovsky gen. et sp. nov. Inclusions containing specimens identified as Baeomorpha and Taimyromorpha are found in amber from Taimyr and Canada that originated from Laurasia, not Gondwana. Two Realms are newly proposed to recognize different Cretaceous faunal elements, a more northern Baeomorpha Realm that is characterized by a temperate or warm temperate climate and very abundant aphid fossils, and the Isoptera Realm, an opposing southward territory with a warmer climate and common termite but rare aphid fossils. The newly described fossils indicate the southern hemisphere distribution of extant Rotoitidae is relictual with the pattern observed being formed at least in part by extinction events, though distributions of the only two extant rotoitid genera, RotoitaBouček and Noyes, 1987 (New Zealand) and ChiloeGibson and Huber, 2000 (small area in the southern Chile) may have been more extensive in the past. Both of known regions of extant Rotoitidae have highly suppressed ant faunas, which may suggest that their survival there depended on low biocenotic pressure by ants, perhaps as low as is hypothesized for the Late Cretaceous. The Canadian amber genera DistylopusYoshimoto, 1975 (Distylopinae) and BouceklytusYoshimoto, 1975 (Bouceklytinae) are excluded from Tetracampidae and regarded as Chalcidoidea incertae sedis.
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•The extinct genus Baeomorpha is recognized as member of Rotoitidae, not Tetracampidae.•Extant austral rotoitid distribution is possibly a remnant of past world-wide distribution.•Proposed is occurrence of two Cretaceous faunal realms, Baeomorpha and Isoptera.
Afrocampe gen. nov. is described for its only species, A. prinslooi gen. et sp. nov., from Eastern and Western Cape, South Africa. This new genus is recognized as a member of the subfamily ...Tetracampinae Förster, 1856 of Tetracampidae Förster, 1856 based on the possession of 5-segmented tarsi in females and 4-segmented tarsi in males, the short straight calcar, the mesoscutum with distinct notauli, the mesoscutellum with two pairs of setae, the reduced mesopleural suture and the short stigmal and long postmarginal veins of the fore wing. Afrocampe gen. nov. is characterized by a large mesosoma, a non-convex first gastral tergite, an evenly acute calcar, a 5-segmented antennal funicle, a head lacking occipital carina and facial grooves and a long fore wing with distinctly delimited speculum, a bare admarginal area with a distinct admarginal row of setae on the underside and with 3 setal tracks (hair rows) radiating from the apex of the stigmal vein. The combination of these characters suggests a special status of the new genus within the subfamily Tetracampinae. Moreover, Afrocampe gen. nov. bears some resemblance to the Australian tetracampine genus Niticampe Bouček, 1988. The position of the latter in Tetracampinae, as well as habitus features of the former, are discussed.
Target enrichment is increasingly used for genotyping of plant and animal species or to better understand the evolutionary history of important lineages through the inference of statistically robust ...phylogenies. Limitations to routine target enrichment are both the complexity of current protocols and low input DNA quantity. Thus, working with tiny organisms such as microarthropods can be challenging. Here, we propose easy to set up optimizations for DNA extraction and library preparation prior to target enrichment. Prepared libraries were used to capture 1,432 ultraconserved elements (UCEs) from microhymenoptera (Chalcidoidea), which are among the tiniest insects on Earth and the most commercialized worldwide for biological control purposes. Results show no correlation between input DNA quantities (1.8–250 ng, 0.4 ng with an extra whole genome amplification step) and the number of sequenced UCEs on an Illumina MiSeq. Phylogenetic inferences highlight the potential of UCEs to solve relationships within the families of chalcid wasps, which has not been achieved so far. The protocol (library preparation + target enrichment) allows processing 96 specimens in five working days, by a single person, without requiring the use of expensive robotic molecular biology platforms, which could help to generalize the use of target enrichment for minute specimens.
An enigmatic chalcid wasp (Hymenoptera: Chalcidoidea) from Chile is described as a new genus and species, Lautaroderus malalcahuello gen. et sp. n. The taxon is classified in the family Eulophidae ...based on possession of a short, straight calcar and 4-segmented tarsi of female. However, a densely setose basal cell of fore wing, X-shaped pattern of facial grooves, and an incurved anterior margin of the clypeus are similar to representatives of the subfamily Tetracampinae of Tetracampidae. Although L. malalcahuello does not fit readily in the current concept of Eulophidae, it is assigned to this family though not further placed to subfamily or tribe. The proposed classification and possible relationships of the new taxon are discussed.
Eulophidae is a hyper-diverse family of chalcidoid wasps with 324 genera, about 5300 described species and probably thousands of others to be described. Until now, the absence of unequivocal ...morphological apomorphies and the low resolution provided by the handful of Sanger sequenced genes have hampered the reconstruction of phylogenetic relationships within the family. Here, we used ultra-conserved elements and their flanking regions to resolve relationships among 84 species of eulophids included in 63 genera representing all subfamilies and most tribes, plus 15 outgroups. Our analyses recover all traditional Eulophidae subfamilies and tribes with high support and globally agree with the traditional classification of the family. Our results confirm that Eulophinae + Tetrastichinae is the sister group of (Opheliminae + Entiinae) + Entedoninae. At the generic level, our analyses provide high support for intergeneric relationships for which morphology and Sanger markers previously failed to provide resolution. Our results also confirm that Trisecodes does not group with Eulophidae and may not belong to this family; however, its correct classification still awaits a large-scale phylogenomic hypothesis for Chalcidoidea. This work opens new avenues towards a better understanding of the evolutionary history, biogeography and evolution of host-parasitoid associations in this hyper-diverse family of chalcidoid wasps.
Chalcidoidea (Hymenoptera) is extremely diverse with an estimated 500 000 species. We present the first phylogenetic analysis of the superfamily based on both morphological and molecular data. A ...web‐based, systematics workbench mx was used to score 945 character states illustrated by 648 figures for 233 morphological characters for a total of 66 645 observations for 300 taxa. The matrix covers 22 chalcidoid families recognized herein and includes 268 genera within 78 of 83 subfamilies. Morphological data were analysed alone and in combination with molecular data from ribosomal 18S (2105 bp) and 28S D2–D5 expansion regions (1812 bp). Analyses were analysed alone and in combined datasets using implied‐weights parsimony and likelihood. Proposed changes in higher classification resulting from the analyses include: (i) recognition of Eriaporidae, revised status; (ii) recognition of Cynipencyrtidae, revised status; (iii) recognition of Azotidae, revised status; (iv) inclusion of Sycophaginae in Agaonidae, revised status; (v) reclassification of Aphelinidae to include Aphelininae, Calesinae, Coccophaginae, Eretmocerinae and Eriaphytinae; (vi) inclusion of Cratominae and Panstenoninae within Pteromalinae (Pteromalidae), new synonymy; (vii) inclusion of Epichrysomallinae in Pteromalidae, revised status. At a higher level, Chalcidoidea was monophyletic, with Mymaridae the sister group of Rotoitidae plus the remaining Chalcidoidea. A eulophid lineage was recovered that included Aphelinidae, Azotidae, Eulophidae, Signiphoridae, Tetracampidae and Trichogrammatidae. Eucharitidae and Perilampidae were monophyletic if Eutrichosomatinae (Pteromalidae) was included, and Eupelmidae was monophyletic if Oodera (Pteromalidae: Cleonyminae) was included. Likelihood recovered a clade of Eupelmidae + (Tanaostigmatidae + (Cynipencyrtus + Encyrtidae). Support for other lineages and their impact on the classification of Chalcidoidea is discussed. Several life‐history traits are mapped onto the new phylogeny.
1. In nature, several parasitoid species often exploit the same stages of a common herbivore host species and are able to coexist despite competitive interactions amongst them. Less is known about ...the direct effects of resource quality on intrinsic interactions between immature parasitoid stages. The present study is based on the hypothesis that variation in the quality or type of plant resources on which the parasitoids indirectly develop may be complementary and thus facilitate niche segregation favouring different parasitoids in intrinsic competition under different dietary regimes. 2. The present study investigated whether two herbivore species, the cabbage butterflies Pieris brassicae and Pieris rapae (Pieridae), and the quality of two important food plants, Brassica oleracea and Brassica nigra (Brassicaceae), affect the outcome of intrinsic competition between their primary larval endoparasitoids, the gregarious Cotesia glomerata (Braconidae) and the solitary Hyposoter ebeninus (Ichneumonidae). 3. Hyposoter ebeninus is generally an intrinsically superior competitor over C. glomerata. However, C. glomerata survived more antagonistic encounters with H. ebeninus when both developed in P. brassicae rather than in P. rapae caterpillars, and while its host was feeding on B. nigra rather than B. oleracea. Moreover, H. ebeninus benefitted from competition by its higher survival in multiparasitised hosts. 4. These results show that both plant and herbivore species mediate the battleground on which competitive interactions between parasitoids are played out and may affect the outcomes of these interactions in ways that enable parasitoids to segregate their niches. This in turn may promote coexistence among parasitoid species that are associated with the same herbivore host.
Three new species groups and seven species of the genus Pediobius Walker are described from the Afrotropical realm: the marjoriae group, with P. marjoriae Kerrich (described from Uganda), P. ...rohombaya Gumovsky sp. n. (from the Central African Republic (CAR), the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), Gabon, Uganda) and P. orungu Gumovsky sp. n. (from Gabon); the afroteres group with P. afroteres Gumovsky sp. n. (from South Africa, Zimbabwe, Malawi, Kenya, Uganda, DRC, Cameroon) and P. kafroteres Gumovsky sp. n. (from Cameroon); the askari group with P. askari Gumovsky sp. n. (from South Africa, Zimbabwe, Kenya, Tanzania, DRC, Ivory Coast) and P. maleficus Gumovsky sp. n. (from Kenya, DRC, CAR, Cameroon, Gabon); and P. nganga Gumovsky sp. n. (from DRC) (not assigned to any group). All these species are characterized by the relatively wide and robust head with elongate and/or narrowed lower face and the antennae attached near or below the lower eye margins. Morphological features of the species, as well as their habitat distribution, are discussed. The comparison of the new species with similar taxa of Entedoninae suggested the following synonymies: Rhynchentedon Girault and Pediobomyia Girault under Pediobius (syn. n.); Bomyiabius frontus Narendran, Pediobomyia budaicus Narendran and Pediobomyia lankicus Narendran under Pediobomyia darwini Girault (syn. n.). The following new combinations are proposed: Pediobius maximus (Girault), P. achterbergi (Gumovsky), P. narendrani (Gumovsky), P. brevicaulis (Hansson), P. canaliculatus (Hansson) and P. darwini (Girault) (comb. n.). Ant parasitoids P. marjoriae and Myrmokata diparoides Bouček are recorded from DRC for the first time.
Two new minute egg parasitoid wasp species belonging to the genus Trichogramma (Hymenoptera: Trichogrammatidae), T. chagres sp. nov. and T. soberania sp. nov., were found in a tropical lowland ...rainforest in Panama, Central America. In this paper, we describe, illustrate and discuss the biology and morphological and molecular characterization of the two new Trichogramma wasp species. Both species were collected from eggs of passion vine butterflies, Agraulis vanillae vanillae (Lepidoptera: Nymphalidae: Heliconiinae) and unidentified Heliconiini species, laid on different Passiflora species (Malpighiales: Passifloraceae). A female T. soberania sp. nov. wasp was observed on the wings of a female Heliconius hecale melicerta butterfly caught in the wild. This suggests that this species may occasionally be phoretic on adult female butterflies to find suitable host eggs. Our study adds two more species identifications to the scarce record of Trichogramma wasps from the widespread Heliconiini butterflies in Central America.
urn:lsid:zoobank.org:pub:941854EE-4A47-4A98-B88E-1EC19D83D074
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