Patterns of insect flower visitation in Lavandula buchii Webb (Lamiaceae), an endemic shrub of Tenerife (Canary Islands)

The foraging ecology of insect visitors of the endemic lavender Lavandula buchii (Lamiaceae) was studied in a relict population of the plant in north-west Tenerife (Canary Islands). Timed observations were used to describe this pollination system in terms of the structure of the visitor assemblage, foraging patterns and efficiencies of the main insect species. The visitor pool was dominated by anthophorid solitary bees. Furthermore, it was characterized by a high level of endemicity and a small number of species compared with continental relatives of Lavandula. The main visitors, two anthophorids and a bombyliid fly, clearly differed in their foraging behaviour, i.e. visitation frequency, visit duration, rate of flower probing, and in anatomical traits (body size and proboscis length). In these terms, the bees were by far more efficient foragers than the fly. These results are discussed in the context of insect-flower interactions in insular pollination systems.     

Reproductive phenology and flower visitors' guild of Canistropsis microps (Bromeliaceae) in an Atlantic Rainforest of southeastern Brazil

The reproductive phenology and guild of the floral visitors of Canistropsis microps in an Atlantic Forest area in Ilha Grande, RJ were studied for 4 years. The rates of flowering, fruiting and mortality were related to air temperature, rainfall and photoperiod. To register the flower visitors, observations were carried out for 5 days in each reproductive season. The flowering and fruiting occurred in the rainy season and were positively related to the studied climatic variables, whereas the highest mortality rates occurred in the dry season and were negatively related to the climatic variables. The guild of floral visitors of C. microps was composed of Hymenoptera, characterizing the species as a melittophilous plant. These results indicate that the rainy season presents more favourable conditions for investment in sexual reproduction, besides being the period in which potential pollinators have larger population densities and a longer period of activity.     

Meteorus acerbiavorus sp. nov. (Hymenoptera,Braconidae), a gregarious parasitoid of Acerbia alpina (Quensel) (Lepidoptera,Arctiidae) in North Finland

The new gregarious parasitoid Meteorus acerbiavorus sp. nov. (Hymenoptera, Braconidae) was reared from the cocoons of Acerbia alpina (Quensel) (Lepidoptera, Arctiidae) in north-western Finnish Lapland. This species belongs to Meteorus rubens (Nees) species group and differs from the most related M. rubens in the following features: the eyes densely setose; the median lobe of the mesoscutum, scutellum, mesopleuron, and the hind coxa entirely or at least partly rugulose-granulate or rugose-areolate and sometimes with granulation; the ovipositor subapically with distinct dorsal node; the ventral borders of the first metasomal tergum weakly separated by narrow space in its basal half; the colour of the body and legs mostly or entirely dark; the fore wing more or less darkened. Phylogenetic relationships among several Meteorus species close to M. rubens including new M. acerbiavorus were investigated based on DNA sequence fragments of the mitochondrial COI and the nuclear 28S rDNA genes. The discussions on the species groups of Meteorus, on distribution of Acerbia alpina in the Holarctic and on its known parasitoids are presented.     

Ecological and evolutionary dynamics of fig communities

Summary I review the status of five topics in fig research: pollen-vector versus seed production, flowering phenology and wasp population dynamics, monoecy versus dioecy, parasite pressure, and fig wasp behavior. I raise several new questions based on recent research on two components of fig reproduction: pollen-donation (male) and seed-production (female) success. I focus on how these two components of reproductive success depend on the flowering phenology of the figs and the population dynamics of the pollinator wasps.     

广西英罗港红树林区蚁科昆虫记述(膜翅目:蚁总科)

记述广西英罗港红树林区的蚁科昆虫17种,其中有1新种,即山口细长蚁Tetraponera shankouensis sp.nov.,1新地位暨国内新记录种,即Crematogaster vagula Wheeler status nov.and record nov.模式标本保存于广西科学院生物研究所和广西师范大学生物系昆虫标本室。     

跳小蜂属一新种（膜翅目：跳小蜂科）

报道跳小蜂科跳小峰属一新种，三色颚跳小蜂，Ｅｎｃｙｒｔｕｓ ｍａｎｄｉｔｒｉｃｏｌｏｒ ｓｐ．ｎｏｖ。标本采自云南２省，从番石榴Ｐｓｉｄｉｕｍ ｙｕａｙａｖａ年一种网蜡蚧Ｅｕｃａｌｙｍｎａｔｕｓ ｓｐ．育得。     

A new species of Allorhogas (Hymenoptera: Braconidae: Doryctinae) inducing ovule galls on Miconia chamissois Naudin,a potentially invasive shrub in the Brazilian cerrado

ABSTRACT

Allorhogas Gahan (Hymenoptera: Braconidae) is a mainly Neotropical doryctine wasp genus whose species have been associated with 11 vascular plant families. All species of Allorhogas whose feeding habits are known are confirmed or presumed to be phytophagous, either by being gall inducers on seeds, seeds predators or by inquilinism of other gall former taxa. Here we describe a new species of Allorhogas from Brazil and assess its phylogenetic affinities using one mitochondrial (COI) and one nuclear (28S) marker. Different from other described species of Allorhogas that induce galls on fruits/seeds of Melastomataceae, the new species attacks floral bud ovules of Miconia chamissois Naudin (Melastomataceae), forming ‘fruit-like’ galls. We recovered a clade exclusively composed of species of Allorhogas that attack Melastomataceae species. The new species could potentially be used as a biological control of M. chamissois populations to prevent the imbalance of the plant diversity of cerrado, which is one of the most endangered biomes in Brazil.

http://www.zoobnk.org/urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:27ADE2CD-6C55-4712-92EC-B0F209FEFD10     

Batesian and Müllerian mimicry between species with connected life histories,with a new example involving braconid wasp parasites of Phoracantha beetles

Members of two endemic Australian genera of Braconidae, the helconine Trichiohelcon and the doryctine Acanthodoryctes, possess remarkable dense setosity around the propodeum and anterior metasomal segments which gives these regions a brilliant silvery-white appearance that contributes greatly to their overall colour patterns. Scanning electron micrographs are presented showing that two very different modified hair structures are involved, flattened ones in Acanthodoryctes and fused ones in Trichiohelcon. Diagnostic features of Trichiohelcon, Acanthodoryctes and two other genera of Braconidae parasitic on Phoracantha with similarly coloured species, Callibracon and Syngaster, are described and illustrated. Gymnoscelus rufoniger Turner is transferred to Trichiohelcon and features enabling its separation from T. phoracanthae are illustrated. Possible reasons for the evolution of the specialized reflective setae and their consequent effects on overall colour pattern are discussed in the general context of the development of homeochromy between species with linked life histories such as parasitoids and their hosts or predators and their prey, and the occurrence of this type of mimicry is surveyed.     

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.     

中国脉柄叶蜂族 (膜翅目 :蕨叶蜂科 )—— 一新属新种附已知属检索表(英文)

记述了中国膜翅目蕨叶蜂科脉柄叶蜂族一新属新种 :Abusarbideainfuscata ,gen .etsp .nov .新属新种。新属与脉柄叶蜂族其它已知各属的区别为新属的前翅臀室具倾斜的臀横脉 ,中前胸背板前叶后部 2 / 5平坦并具锐利的中脊 ,唇基前缘截型。