The preimaginal stages of Minotetrastichus frontalis (Nees) and Chrysocharis laomedon (Walker) (Hymenoptera: Eulophidae), parasitoids associated with Phyllonorycter issikii (Kumata) (Lepidoptera,Gracillariidae)

The biology and morphology of the early larval instars of Minotetrastichus frontalis (Nees) are redescribed and the morphology of the preimaginal stages of Chrysocharis laomedon (Walker) (Hymenoptera: Eulophidae) are described in detail for the first time. Both species are larval-pupal parasitoids of Phyllonorycter issikii (Lepidoptera, Gracillariidae), which is associated with Tilia sp. The female of M. frontalis lays her egg beside the host larva and the newly hatched first instar larva moves and has to find the host larva. The larva of P. issikii tries to continue its feeding but never pupates after paralysis. The female of C. laomedon lays its egg inside the cuticle of the larva of P. issikii, but the newly hatched parasitoid larva vacates the host larva and develops externally on its surface as an ectoparasitoid. Such behaviour might be facilitated by the constant temperature and humidity inside the mine. Some peculiarities of parasitoid–host relationships are described and discussed.     

Distribution of bisexual and unisexual species in the aphid genus Colopha Monell (Aphididae: Eriosomatinae), with the description of a new species in Japan

Aphids of the genus Colopha are represented by three bisexual and three unisexual species. The bisexual species are associated with two Ulmus species that are most closely related, being distributed disjunctively in Europe and eastern North America on the host plants. A new unisexual species of Colopha, collected from Setaria chondrachne (Poaceae) in Japan, is described under the name Colopha setaricola sp. nov. The distribution of the three unisexual species is discussed in relation to aphid‐plant associations and historical changes in the distribution of the host plants. It is suggested that these unisexual species have persisted on the secondary hosts through parthenogenetic reproduction since the extinction of the primary host plants, Ulmus species section Blepharocarpus. Therefore, the unisexual species in Colopha exemplify Mordvilko's hypothesis that unisexual species on the secondary host plants have remained as relics in the region where the primary host was once distributed but then became extinct.     

New species of Hygiella Mesnil (Diptera: Tachinidae), parasitoids of leaf insects (Phasmatodea: Phylliidae)

The Oriental genus Hygiella Mesnil is revised: three species are described as new, Hygiella angustifrons sp. nov., Hygiella luteipes sp. nov. and Hygiella proclinata sp. nov., and two known species are re-described, Hygiella nigripes Mesnil and Hygiella pygidialis Mesnil. A key to these five species is provided. The host of H. proclinata, Phyllium siccifolium (Linnaeus) (Phasmatodea: Phylliidae), is recorded for the first time as a host of the Tachinidae. The systematic position of Hygiella is discussed and the genus is placed in the tribe Acemyini (Exoristinae) based on the structure of the male terminalia.     

Species of Gyrodactylus von Nordmann, 1832 (Monogenea Gyrodactylidae) from poeciliid fishes,with a description of G. turnbulli sp. nov. from the guppy,Poecilia reticulata Peters

Gyrodactylus bullatarudis Turnbull, 1956 is described from Xiphophorus helleri × X. maculatus hybrids. Specimens from this host were morphologically indistinguishable from material of this species from Poecilia reticulata and P. sphenops, although differences in host specificity were noted. Gyrodactylus turnbulli sp. nov., a member of the G. eucaliae species group, is described from Poecilia reticulata. Gyrodactylus turnbulli has frequently been confused with G. bullatarudis, although the two species are only distantly related. They can be distinguished by differences in the structure of the dorsal bar, which is deeply notched in G. bullatarudis, and by the relative length of the ventral bar processes.     

Two new species of Hymenoepimecis (Hymenoptera: Ichneumonidae: Pimplinae) with notes on their spider hosts and behaviour manipulation

The wasp genera included in the Polysphincta genus-group develop exclusively as koinobiont ectoparasitoids of spiders, an unusual pattern within Hymenoptera. All known species of Hymenoepimecis attack orb-web spiders and Hymenoepimecis argyraphaga was previously described inducing a sudden modification of its host's web-building behaviour. Information on parasitoid–host interactions and even on host identities for most members of the genus-group, however, remain scarce. In this study we describe two new species of Hymenoepimecis and present information on their hosts, spiders of the genera Leucauge (Tetragnathidae) and Manogea (Araneidae). Cocoon webs of both host species are distinct from their normal webs. The modified cocoon web of Leucauge roseosignata constructed under the influence of Hymenoepimecis japi sp. nov. is very similar to the cocoon web described for Leucauge argyra. It is composed of three axes, including several radial threads each, and a hub used by the larva to attach the cocoon's suspension line. Spiral viscous threads, present in normal webs and in webs of parasitized spiders carrying larvae in the initial instars, are absent in cocoon webs. In the cocoon web of Manogea porracea the horizontal sheet is poorly structured and the cocoon is attached far from the spider's normal resting position, in an area composed of a densely tangled structure.     

Three new species of Cecidophyinae (Acari: Eriophyidae) from China

Three new eriophyoid mite species (Acari: Eriophyoidea: Eriophyidae) from China are described and illustrated. They are Cecidophyes truncatis sp. nov. on Acer truncatum Bunge (Aceraceae), Cecidophyes hirsutes sp. nov. on Cardamine hirsute L. (Cruciferae) and Paracolomerus fopingacer sp. nov. on Acer sp. L. (Aceraceae). All the new species described herein are vagrants on the host plant.     

The occurrence of a new species of Isocyamus (Crustacea,Amphipoda) from Australian and Japanese Pilot Whales,with a key to species of Isocyamus

Isocyamus deltobranchium n. sp. is described from the short-finned pilot whale, Globicephala macrorhynchus Gray 1946 in Japanese waters, and the long-finned pilot whale, Globicephala melaena (Traill 1809) from Tasmania, Australia. To date only two species of Isocyamus have been described: I. delphini (Geurin-Meneville 1836) Gervais and Beneden, 1859 and I. kogiae Sedlak-Weinstein 1991. The present species differs from I. delphini and I. kogiae in having large triangular accessory gills in the males, and a bilobed maxilla 2. It is similar to I. delphini in ventral spination, and single serrated comb on dactylus of gnathopod 1. Isocyamus deltobranchium n. sp. is the second species of cyamid reported from the long-finned pilot whale and the first from the short-finned pilot whale. The occurrence of I. deltobranchium in the northern and southern hemispheres, and in two different host species, suggests that the ranges of the host species overlap.     

The parasites of the psyllidae—3. Some notes on the biology and host relationships of Parapsyllae-Phagus Adulticolus Robinson (Hymenoptera)

Abstract

Parapsyllaephagus Adulticolus Robinson (CHALCIDIDAE: Encyrtinae) is an endoparasite of the adults of Psylla melanoneura Förster and Psylla subferrigenea Edwards. The life histories and biology of the hosts and parasite are described. Parapsyllaephagus adulticolus has five larval instars, which feed selectively upon the developing internal genitalia of the host at first, and eventually, as the final instar, upon the whole of the abdominal viscera. Pupation within the psyllid is followed by emergence of the adult parasite through the posterior dorsal surface of the abdomen of the host. The effect of these activities upon the migration of the adult psyllid from a winter shelter plant to a summer host plant is discussed and a relationship between the stimulus to migrate and the state of development of the internal genitalia is postulated. Some aspects of the orientation of the parasite larva within the host and the phenomenon of larval reversal are discussed.     

Host ranges of parasitoids (Hymenoptera: Braconidae and Ichneumonidae) reared from Epermenia chaerophyllella (Goeze) (Lepidoptera: Epermeniidae) in Britain,with description of a new species of Triclistus (Ichneumonidae)

The complex of parasitoids attacking larval stages of Epermenia chaerophyllella in Britain is outlined, and the host range of each of the species recorded (three braconids and four ichneumonids) is discussed. ‘Ecological’ factors, such as the behavioural similarity of unrelated hosts during the vulnerable parts of their life histories, seem to have been important in the evolution of the host associations of several of these parasitoids, even though they are koinobionts. A new species, Triclistus epermeniae Shaw and Aeschlimann, is described.     

Oncodiscus sauridae Yamaguti, 1934 from Saurida undosquamis in Kuwait and a revision of the genus Oncodiscus (Cestoda: Bothriocephalidae)

Oncodiscus sauridae Yamaguti, 1934 is described and figured in detail from specimens collected from Saurida undosquamis (new host) and S. tumbil in the Arabian Gulf and Australian waters, respectively (new geographical localities). O. fimbriatus and O. waltairensis are regarded as synonyms of O. sauridae. O. maharashtrae is regarded as species inquirenda. The diagnosis of the genus Oncodiscus is emended.     

Biology and immature stages of Panteles schnetzeanus (Hymenoptera: Ichneumonidae), a parasitoid of Lampronia fuscatella (Lepidoptera: Incurvariidae)

Panteles schnetzeanus (Roman), a parasitoid of the gall‐forming incurvariid moth Lampronia fuscatella (Tengström) and currently placed in the Stilbopinae, is shown to be a solitary koinobiont larval endoparasitoid. The large dark‐pigmented eggs possess a hook‐like tail which is embedded in host tissue, typically at the posterior or anterior end of the host. In cases of superparasitism, which represented 70% of cases, only a single egg hatches. The first instar, prepupa and final larval instar head capsules are described and illustrated. Many differences between the biology of Panteles and of Stilbops are discussed. Circumstantial evidence that suggests that Panteles may have an alternative host is also presented based on the emergence dates for it and the Lampronia together with the size, number and placement of the Panteles eggs. DNA sequence data additionally provide the first record of a eupelmid as attacking a gall‐forming incurvariid/parasitoid system, though it is not clear whether this was an hyperparasitoid on the Panteles or a primary on the incurvariid.     

Two new species of Rhizorhina (Copepoda: Siphonostomatoida) from leptostracan and tanaidacean hosts

Summary

Two new species of parasitic copepods from the North Atlantic, Rhizorhina leptostracae associated with Nebaliella caboti, and Rhizorhina tanaidaceae from Leviapseudes hanseni, are described. Leptostracans and tanaids are new host groups for this genus. The systematic position of Rhizorhina is discussed.     

Aylax hypecoi Trotter (Hymenoptera,Cynipidae) in Europe: Redescription,with taxonomic and biological notes

Aylax hypecoi (Trotter) (Hymenoptera, Cynipidae, Aylacini), a poorly known cynipid wasp inducing galls on Hypecoum species (Papaveraceae), was described from North Africa and also doubtfully recorded from Greece about a century ago. The species has now been found in Bulgaria and thus its presence in Europe is confirmed for the first time. The species is redescribed and illustrated with SEM pictures of the adult female; galls are also described and illustrated. Data on distribution and biology are given, and its taxonomic and phylogenetic position are discussed. Aylax spirorhynchusii Diakontshuk, , another aylacine species, recorded from Transcaucasus and Middle Asia as a gall‐inducer on Spirorhynchus sabulosus Kar. and Kir. (Brassicaceae) is a synonym of Aylax hypecoi and the host plant record stated is a possible misidentification.     

The Agromyzid genus Paraphytomyza Enderlein: new to the Oriental Region (Diptera)

Paraphytomyza jasmini sp. n. from India and P. loniceroides sp. n. from N.W. Pakistan are described, representing the first reared species in this genus known in the Oriental Region. P. kraussi (Sasakawa, 1963) from Papua New Guinea is formally transferred to Paraphytomyza as a new combination. The nomenclature, distribution and host range of Paraphytomyza are discussed.     

Aphidiinae parasitoids (Hymenoptera: Braconidae) of Macrosiphoniella aphids (Hemiptera: Aphididae) in the western Palaearctic region

The parasitoids (Hymenoptera: Braconidae: Aphidiinae) of Macrosiphoniella del Guercio (Hemiptera: Aphididae) from the western Palaearctic region are reviewed and keyed. The host associations and distribution of each species are summarized. Aphidius stigmaticus sp. nov. reared from Macrosiphoniella tanacetaria on Tanacetum polycephalum, which is another member of the Macrosiphoniella aphid parasitoid guild from high-mountain habitats in western Iran, is described in the present contribution. Some taxonomic problems within Macrosiphoniella parasitoid guilds are discussed as well.     

A new fecampiid of the genus Kronborgia (Platyhelminthes: Turbellaria: Neorhabdocoela) parasitic in the intertidal isopod Exosphaeroma obtusum (Dana) from New Zealand

Kronborgia isopodicola sp. n. (Turbellaria: Neorhabdocoela: Fecampiidae) is described from the South Island of New Zealand. The species has a parasitic phase within the haemocoel of the intertidal isopod Exosphaeroma obtusum (Dana). Sexes are separate: each female worm, emerging when mature from its host, secretes a cocoon around itself in which it is joined by a male. Cocoons are found under rocks, are approximately 10 mm long and reflect the shape of the contained female. The worms spawn and lay numerous egg capsules, each containing two embryos. Although placed in Kronborgia Christensen and Kanneworff, 1964 because it is dioecious, K. isopodicola exhibits some characters typical of the genus Fecampia Giard, 1886. It differs from all other described fecampiids by its possession of eyes throughout life.     

The taxonomy and biology of the Polystomatidae (Monogenea) in Australian freshwater turtles (Chelidae,Pleurodira)

Polystomoides scottae n. sp. is described from the urinary and accessory bladders of Chelodina expansa. Four species of Neopolystoma are described from the conjunctival sacs of Australian freshwater turtles (Chelidae): Neopolystoma cribbi n. sp. from Emydura signata, E. macquarii, Elseya latisternum and Chelodina expansa; Neopolystoma spratti n. sp. from Chelodina longicollis; Neopolystoma tinsleyi n. sp. from Chelodina expansa; and Neopolystoma queenslandensis n. sp. from Emydura signata and E. macquarii. Polystomoides australiensis, Neopolystoma macleayi and N. chelodinae are redescribed from new individuals. Neopolystoma australis is made a junior synonym of N. kreffti. P. australiensis, N. macleayi and N. cribbi produced on average 5·6, 4·3 and 0·7 eggs per day, respectively. Eggs of P. australiensis take 33–57 days at 18–24°C and 30–33 days at 24–28°C to develop and hatch. Oncomiracidia of P. australiensis and N. macleayi had 64 ciliated cells; the patterns of the ciliated cells are the same for both species. Different sizes of worms in different sites in the hosts suggest strongly that the oncomiracidia of P. australiensis and N. macleayi enter the host, migrate to the ureters, possibly to the kidneys, then to the urinary bladder and finally to either the accessory bladders or cloaca. Successful cross-infection experiments between host genera (Emydura to Elseya) indicated that P. australiensis and N. macleayi have a low degree of host specificity.     

Jumping plant‐lice of the family Phacopteronidae (Hemiptera: Psylloidea) from Cameroon

Nine species of the family Phacopteronidae are recorded from Cameroon. All are assigned to the large pan‐tropical genus Pseudophacopteron. Eight species are described as new, and P. electum Capener is redescribed. The species are diagnosed and illustrated, and keys for the identification of adults and fifth instar larvae are provided. Information is given on distribution, host plants, and biology. Eight species are associated with plants of the order Rutales/Sapindales (three Sapindaceae, one Burseraceae, one Burseraceae or Anacardiaceae, one Meliaceae, one Rutaceae, and one Anacardiaceae/Simaroubaceae); host plants of one species remain unknown. Four species, namely P. electum, P. fuscivenosum sp. n., P. lecaniodisci sp. n., and P. morion sp. n., induce nut or pit galls on the leaves.     

Seed-feeding beetles of the weevil tribe Mecysolobini (Insecta: Coleoptera: Curculionidae) developing in seeds of trees in the Dipterocarpaceae

Species comprising two monophyletic groups of Alcidodes sensu lato (crassus group and dipterocarpi group) feed on fruits of the ecologically and economically important tropical timber family Dipterocarpaceae. Fifteen Alcidodes species are newly described from several thousand specimens of seed-feeding beetles reared from south-east Asian dipterocarp hosts (Dipterocarpoidae) and four other species are revised. Morphological keys are provided for identifying these 19 taxa. Weevil associations are provided for 70 species of Dipterocarpaceae in five genera (16 Dipterocarpus spp., four Dryobalanops spp., six Hopea spp., 39 Shorea spp. and five Vatica spp.). These records relate primarily to specimens reared from seeds in Borneo and in Peninsular Malaysia, but all known previous host records are also included (from India, Andaman Islands, Thailand, Laos, Vietnam and the Philippines) and assessed. These validated and documented host associations refute general assertions that (1) seed-eating beetles are host-specific in the tropics and (2) seed-eating beetles found on dipterocarp hosts are broad generalists across species in several genera of mast-fruiting Dipterocarpaceae. Most Alcidodes species exploit seeds from several dipterocarp species. Some Alcidodes species occur across broad geographic regions with several host species from a dipterocarp genus, other species have been found only on Bornean Hopea or Dipterocarpus species. Others, such as the two previously undescribed species feeding on Vatica species, may be restricted to separate sections of the host genus. Within an extensively sampled and diverse interspecific mast-fruiting dipterocarp community, no Alcidodes species was observed to feed on sympatric species across genera within the Dipterocarpaceae. Additional host records and specimens of Alcidodes spp. throughout the range of the Dipterocarpaceae in south and southeast Asia are required to further define these clades and the tribe Mecysolobini in general as well as to resolve the complex host associations and distributions documented.