Cocoon silk chemistry of non-cyclostome Braconidae,with remarks on phylogenetic relationships within the Microgastrinae (Hymenoptera: Braconidae)

Bulk amino acid composition was determined for cocoon silks for 54 species of non-cyclostome braconid wasps collectively representing 14 subfamilies. Little intraspecific variation was encountered either between conspecific individuals of differing origin or between physically different silk layers within a single cocoon. Variation within subfamilies was small except in the Microgastrinae. Most taxa, excluding most microgastrines, had silk of a fairly typical fibroin type with high relative abundances of alanine, serine or glycine (of which either alanine or serine was the most abundant) and usually with moderately low molar concentrations of presumed acidic residues (aspartate/asparagine (As(x)) and glutamate/glutamine (Gl(x))) which ranged from approximately 2% up to nearly 30% (in Helconinae and Blacinae). In the Microgastrinae, members of the genus Microplitis (four species) were similar to the other non-cyclostome subfamilies in having 14.3–26.1 molar % As(x), but the other 10 microgastrine genera investigated produced silks with As(x) the most abundant detected residue comprising 32.4–50.5 molar % while glycine represented less than 10% of residues, indicating an α-helical silk. These data are discussed in the light of some recent independent phylogenetic studies on the Microgastrinae that also suggest a basal position for Microplitis within the subfamily, despite its apparently highly specialized biology.     

Cladistics and tribal classification of the Agathidinae (Hymenoptera: Braconidae)

Five tribes of the braconid subfamily Agathidinae are recognized, viz. Agathidini (Blanchard), Cremnoptini (new tribe), Disophrini (new tribe), Earinini (new tribe), and Microdini (Ashmead). Phylogenetic relationships of the tribes are proposed and the phylogenetic placement of the Agathidinae within the Braconidae is discussed. Keys to, and diagnoses of, the tribes are presented.     

A phytophagous braconid,Allorhogas conostegia sp. nov. (Hymenoptera: Braconidae), in the fruits of Conostegia xalapensis (Bonpl.) D. Don (Melastomataceae)

Before 1989 all braconid wasps were thought to be parasitoids, but in that year the first phytophagous species was reported. Subsequently, a few other examples of phytophagy have been discovered, most of which are species of Allorhogas in the subfamily Doryctinae. Until now, all demonstrated examples of phytophagy in this genus have been as gall inducers in the fruits of Fabaceae. Here we describe a new species from Costa Rica, Allorhogas conostegia Marsh and Shaw, and provide evidence that it forms galls in the fruits of Conostegia xalapensis (Melastomataceae). We also provide information on the phenology of the plant and of the galls and the effects of the galls on the host plant, and we discuss the potential species richness of Allorhogas in the Neotropics.     

New diagnostic ovipositor characters for doryctine wasps (Hymenoptera,Braconidae)

Characters previously used to distinguish the braconid wasp subfamily Doryctinae show considerable variation. Here we illustrate three new female external adult characters that will facilitate recognition of doryctines and allow precise definition of the subfamily. The new characters are a distinctively shaped apex to the dorsal ovipositor valve, a modified serration structure of the lower ovipositor valve, and a particularly heavily sclerotized ovipositor apex. As a result of finding additional synapomorphies linking the Ypsistocerinae with the Doryctinae, the former group is reduced in rank to a tribe within the latter.     

Life cycle and behaviour of Charoxus spinifer and Charoxus major (Coleoptera: Staphylinidae: Aleocharinae), predators of fig wasps (Hymenoptera: Agaonidae)

Charoxus spinifer is associated in southern Florida with native fig trees (Ficus aurea and Ficus citrifolia). Winged adult beetles, 3.0–3.6 mm long, mate on Ficus twigs outside the syconia (fruits), and enter the syconia through holes cut by male pollinating wasps. Adults and larvae eat adult wasps within the syconia. Ovaries hold few, large, mature eggs. Larvae develop through three instars. Fully grown larvae abandon the syconia, drop to the ground, burrow to a depth of 1.5–3.7 cm, spin a silken cocoon, and pupate. Pupal duration is 8–9 days. Larval populations are highest in May, when penultimate stage syconia (phase D) are most abundant, but were detected in all months except June. Charoxus major is reported from Veracruz, associated with Ficus lapathifolia. Its adults extract wasp occupants of galled fig ovaries within syconia, and its eggs were found singly in empty galls.     

The Indo-Pacific Pilumnidae XII. On the familial placement of Chlorodiella bidentata (Nobili, 1901) and Tanaocheles stenochilus Kropp, 1984 using adult and larval characters with the establishment of a new subfamily,Tanaochelinae (Crustacea: Decapoda: Brachyura)

Within the Xanthoidea, Chlorodiella bidentata (Nobili, 1901) had been assigned to the Xanthidae MacLeay, 1838 and Tanaocheles stenochilus Kropp, 1984, to the Trapeziidae Miers, 1886. The adult characters of these two species are re-appraised and are considered to be congeneric. The familial position of Tanaocheles is reviewed and the genus does not conform to the diagnosis of the Xanthidae or Trapeziidae. The taxon is, therefore, placed in the Pilumnidae Samouelle, 1819, sensu Guinot, 1978, and assigned to a new subfamily. The first stage zoeal chaetotaxy of C. bidentata supports the adult revision at the family level.     

Neotropical whiteflies of the subfamily Aleurodicinae established in the western Palaearctic (Homoptera: Aleyrodidae)

Four members of the small, mainly Neotropical, whitefly subfamily Aleurodicinae, Aleurodicus dispersus Russell, Paraleyrodes bondari Peracchi, P. citricolus Costa Lima and P. minei Iaccarino, are now established in the western Palaearctic, where all have economic impact. Keys are presented to enable their identification. The puparium of P. citricolus is redescribed, and the adult male is described for the first time.     

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.     

A synopsis of the subterranean mealybug genus Neochavesia Williams and Granara de Willink (Hemiptera: Pseudococcidae: Rhizoecinae)

The neotropical mealybug genus Neochavesia, associated with the ant genus Acropyga Roger, is discussed and placed in the tribe Xenococcini on the bases that it lacks dorsal ostioles, the distal end of the circulus is depressed and cup-shaped, and the third-instar female is a pupa. These are characters shared by Xenococcus Silvestri and Eumyrmococcus Silvestri, also in the tribe Xenococcini, and differ from those in the tribe Rhizoecini, the other tribe in the subfamily Rhizoecinae. Two new species, Neochavesia iwokramae sp. nov. and N. lapollai sp. nov., are described from Guyana, and the female pupal instar and adult male of N. lapollai and the adult male of N. caldasiae (Balachowsky) are described and illustrated. A key to adult females is provided.     

New species of Australian arid zone chelonine wasps from the genera Phanerotoma and Ascogaster (Hymenoptera: Braconidae) informed by the ‘Bush Blitz’ surveys of national reserves

Here we focus on the poorly studied braconid wasp subfamily Cheloninae for the arid zone of the Australian continent, using material, in part, resulting from comprehensive surveys of three arid zone reserves. The Bush Blitz programme is a multi-institutional project with the aim of documenting the diversity of the flora and fauna in Australia’s National Reserve System, with describing new species being a key focus of the programme. In total, 11 species from the genera Ascogaster and Phanerotoma are treated, with species’ delimitation based on both molecular and morphological data. Two species are redescribed (Phanerotoma behriae Zettel, 1988a and P. decticauda Zettel, 1988a) and nine species are described as new (Ascogaster brevivena sp. nov., A. ferruginegaster sp. nov., A. prolixogaster sp. nov., A. rubriscapa sp. nov., Phanerotoma bonbonensis sp. nov., P. bushblitz sp. nov., P. lutea sp. nov., P. nigriscapulata sp. nov. and P. witchelinaensis sp. nov.). Keys to the arid zone species of these two genera are provided, along with a species richness estimation of Australian chelonine wasps.     

The generic affiliation of Japanese species of the subfamily Psyllinae (Hemiptera: Psyllidae) with a revised checklist

The generic affiliations of all the Japanese species of the psyllid subfamily Psyllinae are re-examined under the current generic recognition of the subfamily based mainly on adult morphological characters. Twenty-two species of the genus Psylla Geoffroy are newly combined with the genus Cacopsylla Ossiannilsson. Psylla wulinensis Yang and Aphalara akebiae Shinji are newly synonymized with Psylla multipunctata Miyatake and Cacopsylla hakonensis (Kuwayama), respectively. In addition, Cacopsylla toddaliae (Yang) is newly recorded from Japan. In all, 62 species of the Japanese Psyllinae are recognized and classified into three genera Psylla, Cacopsylla and Chamaepsylla Ossiannilsson, which include 11, 50 and one species, respectively. A key to Japanese psylline genera and a revised checklist of all the Japanese species of Psyllinae are presented with their distribution and host plant information and also with their synonymies.     

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.     

First host records for the rogadine genera Rogasodes Chen and He and Canalirogas van Achterberg and Chen (Hymenoptera: Braconidae) with description of a new species and survey of mummy types within Rogadinae s. str.

The parasitic wasp genus Rogasodes is recorded for the first time outside mainland China, based on a new species, R. scytaloptericola Quicke and Shaw sp. nov., from Java. Rearing data and host remains associated with the type specimen show that it is a parasitoid of the palm‐feeding drepanid moth, Scytalopteryx elongata (Snellen). Canalirogas sp. aff. balgooyi van Achterberg and Chen is recorded from an unidentified lymantriid on clove trees in Indonesia (Sumatra) and illustrated. Both of these are the first host records for the genera. Rogas spilonotus Cameron is transferred to Canalirogas. A survey of mummy sclerotization and adult emergence holes in the subfamily Rogadinae sensu stricto is presented. The data suggest an early shift to a posterior emergence position, with a strictly dorsal position being largely characteristic of the common genus Aleiodes. Only Aleiodes and a few apparently closely related taxa, including Hemigyroneuron, typically form heavily sclerotized mummies.     

Bornean caterpillar (Lepidoptera) constructs cocoon from Vatica rassak (Dipterocarpaceae) resin containing multiple deterrent compounds

Many Lepidoptera larvae use pieces of vegetation bound with silk to construct or disguise their cocoons. Here we report the first known case of a caterpillar building its cocoon entirely out of fragments of resin, broken away from sheets of dried resin on the trunk of a tree and held together with silk. The behaviour of the larva (possibly Negritothripa sp. in the Nolidae), from the Kinabatangan Wildlife Sanctuary in Sabah, Borneo, is described. The cocoon was constructed on the trunk of Vatica rassak (Dipterocarpaceae). Analysis of resin from the cocoon, using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry, revealed a complex mixture of 260 components, dominated by sesquiterpenes and triterpenes. Many of these compounds have defensive properties, protecting the tree from herbivores and fungi. The larva appears to have evolved an elaborate and possibly unique behaviour, allowing it to harness the defensive properties of the resin to protect its pupa from predators and/or entomopathogenic fungi.     

New Zealand chelonine braconid wasps (Hymenoptera)

The New Zealand braconid fauna is remarkable in that the only chelonine genus represented is Ascogaster; no member of the world-wide genus Chelonus has yet been found. The New Zealand species of Ascogaster are revised, keyed and illustrated. Of the 12 species, nine are new, two (crenulata Cameron, elongata Lyle) are redescribed and quadridentata, which was introduced into New Zealand for biological control of codling moth, was redescribed in a recent paper. One new synonym is established. The classification and biology of chelonines are briefly reviewed and the faunal relationships between Australian and New Zealand species of Ascogaster are discussed.     

Nesting behaviour and prey of Pseudoplisus Ashmead (Hymenoptera: Sphecidae)

Nesting behaviour and prey of two species of Pseudoplisus, a gorytine wasp genus in the sphecid subfamily Nyssoninae, are described. P. natalensis is a solitary nester in southern Africa nesting often in the soil in flower-pots. P. ranosahae in Madagascar nests in the ground in large aggregations. Both species show a high degree of prey specificity. Nests are provisioned only with large adult froghoppers (Aphrophoridae), P. natalensis preying on Ptyelus grossus and P. ranosahae on Ptyelus goudoti.     

Notes on the overwintering Apanteles-Tetrastichus-Lysibia complex (Hymenoptera: Parasitica), parasitoids of the large white butterfly

Apanteles glomeratus (L.) (Hymenoptera: Braconidae) is the main parasitoid responsible for limiting populations of Pieris brassicae (L.) (Lepidoptera: Pieridae), but Tetrastichus galactopus (Ratzeburg) (Hymenoptera: Eulophidae) and Lysibia nana (Gravenhorst) (Hymenoptera: Ichneumonidae), in turn, greatly limit the primary parasitoid population, reducing its potential for constraint of the future pierid population. The patterns of spring emergence of these species from overwintering A. glomeratus cocoon clusters have functional significance. The sex ratio of emerging A. glomeratus is significantly correlated with the cluster size, higher proportions of females emerging from the larger clusters. Non-ovipositional attacks by T. galactopus appear to cause heavy mortality in the Apanteles cocoon clusters. L. nana oviposits in cocoons of A. glomeratus, whatever they contain, and very active female L. nana lay higher proportions of diploid eggs than do lower status females.     

Occurrence of the trapdoor spider genus Moggridgea in Australia with descriptions of two new species (Araneae: Mygalomorphae: Migidae)

The occurrence of the trapdoor spider genus Moggridgea (Migidae) in Australia is reported, and two new species described: M. tingle n. sp. from southwest Western Australia and M. australis n. sp. from Kangaroo Island, South Australia. This is the first record of the subfamily Paramiginae from Australia. The historical biogeographic implications are discussed.