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Background The area sourrounding the Mediterranean basin is recognised as a major biodiversity hotspot for bees, and Italy is amongst the European countries with the highest bee species richness. Detailed knowledge of bee distribution is crucial for understanding bee biology and designing tailored conservation strategies, but is still insufficient in southern European countries, especially in Italy. New information We report recent finds of 48 bee species that yield significant novelties for the Italian bee fauna. Eight species, namely Andrena confinis Stöckhert, Anthidiellum breviusculum Pérez, Coelioxys alatus Foerster, Lasioglossum algericolellum Strand, Megachile lapponica Thomson, Megachile opacifrons Pérez, Megachile semicircularis auct. nec Zanden and Trachusa integra Eversmann are reported as new for Italy. In addition, Andrena binominata Smith, Andrena compta Lepeletier, Colletes acutus Pérez, Lasioglossum strictifrons Vachal, Rhodanthidium siculum Spinola and Rhodanthidium sticticum Fabricius are newly recorded from mainland Italy, Osmia heteracantha Pérez from Sardegna and Nomada flavopicta Kirby from Sicilia. We also report significant range extensions for other bee species and recent records of species that had long gone unrecorded in Italy. The combination of morphology and DNA barcoding provided reliable identifications even for the most challenging specimens. As several of our records come from areas neglected by bee experts in the past, this study stands out as a key indicator of a bee faunistic richness still awaiting discovery and hopefully it will stimulate the interest of taxonomists and stakeholders in pursuing bee research in Italy in the near future.

During the last decade, the spotted wing drosophila, Drosophila suzukii, has spread from eastern Asia to the Americas, Europe, and Africa. This fly attacks many species of cultivated and wild fruits with soft, thin skins, where its serrated ovipositor allows it to lay eggs in undamaged fruit. Parasitoids from the native range of D. suzukii may provide sustainable management of this polyphagous pest. Among these parasitoids, host-specificity testing has revealed a lineage of Ganaspis near brasiliensis, referred to in this paper as G1, that appears to be a cryptic species more host-specific to D. suzukii than other parasitoids. Differentiation among cryptic species is critical for introduction and subsequent evaluation of their impact on D. suzukii. Here, we present results on divergence in genomic sequences and architecture and reproductive isolation between lineages of Ganaspis near brasiliensis that appear to be cryptic species. We studied five populations, two from China, two from Japan, and one from Canada, identified as the G1 vs G3 lineages based on differences in cytochrome oxidase l sequences. We assembled and annotated the genomes of these populations and analyzed divergences in sequence and genome architecture between them. We also report results from crosses to test reproductive compatibility between the G3 lineage from China and the G1 lineage from Japan. The combined results on sequence divergence, differences in genome architectures, ortholog divergence, reproductive incompatibility, differences in host ranges and microhabitat preferences, and differences in morphology show that these lineages are different species. Thus, the decision to evaluate the lineages separately and only import and introduce the more host-specific lineage to North America and Europe was appropriate.

Aphelinidae Thompson (Hymenoptera: Chalcidoidea) are a biologically diverse family of parasitoids wasps, many of which are used in classical and augmentative biological control of economically impactful pest species, including whiteflies, scale insects, and aphids (Hemiptera: Sternorrhyncha). Historically, the systematics of Aphelinidae formed a Gordian knot: an intractable problem that could not be solved by available methods, due to extreme morphological homoplasy. Next-generation molecular methods have provided the necessary tools to approach Aphelinidae in a meaningful way. Here we develop a robust phylogenetic hypothesis for Aphelinidae and its internal relationship for an exonic anchored hybrid enrichment data set (186 taxa, 740 loci), explored as both nucleotide and amino acids (chapter 2). We find the family, all subfamilies, three tribes, and several major clades to be monophyletic. We propose Coccidae (Hemiptera: Sternorrhyncha) as the ancestral host of the family, and identify five major host shifts within the family. Finally, we propose an early cretaceous origin for the family, placing it congruently in evolutionary time with other major insect radiation events. Using our recovered hypothesis, we revise the classification of Aphelinidae at the family, subfamily, tribe, and generic levels (chapter 3), and we provide a comprehensive review the family and dichotomous key to tribes (chapter 1). Finally, we begin the revisionary taxonomy of monophyletic species-groups of Encarsia Förster, the most speciose genus in the family with 477 described species and an estimated species diversity of ~4000. Here we treat 79 species to revise the Encarsia strenua species-group, and establish 3 additional species groups (E. japonica species-group, E. pulliclava species-group, and E. quercicola species-group). The work presented here establishes the first comprehensive phylogenetic hypothesis for Aphelinidae, provides a modernized cladistic classification, and puts the fa

In the present work, information is provided on biological and ecological aspects of the fl y Ocyptamus gastrostactus (Wiedemann, 1830) (Diptera: Syrphidae) and its larvae are recorded carrying out predation on aphids, Sarucallis kahawaluokalani (Kirkaldy, 1906) (Insecta: Hemiptera: Aphididae) on plants from Lagerstroemia indica (L.) Pers. (Ly thraceae: Myrtales). Also, parasitism of the pupae of the fl y O. gastrostactus by the parasitoid wasp Pachyneuron albutius Walker, 1843 (Hymenoptera: Pteromalidae) in the fi eld is recorded for the fi rst time. Distribution information is provided for all the species involved in the work., En el presente trabajo se aporta información sobre aspectos biológicos y ecológicos de la mosca Ocyptamus gastrostactus (Wiedemann, 1830) (Diptera: Syrphidae) y se registran sus larvas efectuando depredación de aphidos “pulgones” Sarucallis kahawaluokalani (Kirkaldy, 1906) (Insecta: Hemiptera: Aphididae) sobre planta de La gerstroemia indica (L.) Pers. (Lythraceae: Myrtales). También, se registra por primera vez el parasitismo de las pupas de la mosca O. gastrostactus por la avispa parasitoide Pachyneuron albutius Walker, 1843 (Hymenoptera: Pteromalidae) en campo. Se aporta información de distribución de todas las especies involucradas en el trabajo.

Municipal authorities around the world have come to recognize the importance of making conservation and restoration a priority. Multiple urban restoration programs now foster insects and other pollinators through planting and sowing flowering plants, many of them within residential areas. But residents are not only walking next to pollinators visiting flowering sidewalk grass verges, they are also walking on top of them, nesting in the cracks and interstices of urban pavements.Combining morphological and molecular monitoring schemes, we conducted a survey of urban pavements at twelve locations across Berlin and found that pavements can foster a surprising number and quantity of soil dwelling insects—in particular wild bees and wasps. Pavements located within 200 m to an insect-friendly flower garden were covered with significantly more nests of wild bees and solitary wasps, and showed higher species richness of these groups, while the degree of sealed surfaces in the surrounding had no effect per se. This underlines the positive impact that insect-friendly gardens can have for pollinators and other insects, even in highly sealed areas. Also, it shows the potential of cobbled pavements as valuable nesting sites in highly sealed urban areas. We provide a list of 55 species of ground-nesting Hymenoptera found in Berlin pavements, including 28 species of wild bees and 22 apoid wasps. In our study, the molecular approach only detected three Hymenoptera species and did not yield comparable results to classical monitoring. Nonetheless, using eDNA methods might be a promising tool for further studying soil nesting insects in the future, and to gain insights into the web of life in urban pavements.

Bees are important actors in terrestrial ecosystems and are recognised for their prominent role as pollinators. In the Iberian Peninsula, approximately 1,100 bee species are known, with nearly 100 of these species being endemic to the Peninsula. A reference collection of DNA barcodes, based on morphologically identified bee specimens, representing 514 Iberian species, was constructed. The "InBIO Barcoding Initiative Database: DNA Barcodes of Iberian bees" dataset contains records of 1,059 sequenced specimens. The species of this dataset correspond to about 47% of Iberian bee species diversity and 21% of endemic species diversity. For peninsular Portugal only, the corresponding coverage is 71% and 50%. Specimens were collected between 2014 and 2022 and are deposited in the research collection of Thomas Wood (Naturalis Biodiversity Center, The Netherlands), in the FLOWer Lab collection at the University of Coimbra (Portugal), in the Andreia Penado collection at the Natural History and Science Museum of the University of Porto (MHNC-UP) (Portugal) and in the InBIO Barcoding Initiative (IBI) reference collection (Vairão, Portugal).

Open Access funding provided thanks to the CRUE-CSIC agreement with Springer Nature. DG-T was supported by a Margarita Salas UCM contract, financed by the Ministry of Universities with Next Generation funds from the European Union. Open Access funding provided thanks to the CRUE-CSIC agreement with Springer Nature., Dryocosmus kuriphilus (Hymenoptera: Cynipidae), also known as the Asian chestnut gall wasp, is a non-native invasive species that has recently appeared in many regions of Europe, including the Iberian Peninsula. This species is an important pest of chestnut trees in several regions and is of concern for foresters in these areas. The results of this research revealed 14 different hotspots of infestation of D. kuriphilus and resulted in the development of models that predict the distribution of D. kuriphilus in Spain over the next 37 years (2019-2055). These results indicate a rapid spread in all Spanish chestnut forests and identify areas that are theoretically highly suitable and susceptible to colonization by this cynipid based on predictions of three different niche models. Although D. kuriphilus is able to induce galls on all chestnut trees, the models indicate that there are differences in the suitability of the different regions for this species. This differential suitability results in some areas having better environmental conditions than others for D. kuriphilus, which is a factor that should be taken into account in its management and biological control. This study of the current distribution, patterns of dispersal using GIS and potentially suitable areas for D. kuriphilus, using niche models will assist in the management and control of this pest in Spain., Ministerio de Universidades, Depto. de Biodiversidad, Ecología y Evolución, Fac. de Ciencias Biológicas, TRUE, pub

Eusocial Hymenoptera are often characterized by having facultatively or obligately sterile worker castes. However, findings across an increasing number of species are that some workers are non-natal-they have 'drifted' away from where they were born and raised. Moreover, drifters are often indistinguishable from natal workers in the work and benefits provided to joined groups. This seems an evolutionary paradox of providing benefits to potentially unrelated individuals over close kin. Rather than being mistakes, drifting is proposed to be adaptive if joiners either gain inclusive fitness by preferentially moving to other kin groups or through generalized reciprocity in which exchanging workers across groups raises group-level genetic diversity and creates social heterosis. It is unclear, however, if reciprocity is unlikely because of a susceptibility to cheating. In resolving this question, a series of evolutionary simulations show: (1) Reciprocity can persist under a range of genetic assumptions and scenarios of cheating, (2) cheating almost always evolves, but can be expressed in a variety of ways that are not always predictable, (3) the inclusive fitness hypothesis is equally or more susceptible to cheating. Moreover, existing data in Hymenoptera (although not extensive) are more consistent with generalized reciprocity. This supports a hypothesis that drifting, as a phenomenon, may more often reflect maximization of group and parental fitness rather than fitness gains for the individual drifters.

Introduced species provide the opportunity to study evolutionary change on short time scales—a key first step to understand and manage the ecosystem-level impact of invasions. This study examined mitochondrial DNA sequence variation in cytochrome c oxidase subunit 1 (COI) for 26 insect species—Coleoptera (9), Hymenoptera (9), and Lepidoptera (8)—introduced to the Nearctic from the Palearctic. A total of 6,302 barcode records were retrieved from BOLD (boldsystems.org) to compare sequence diversity between the native and introduced range. As expected, genetic variation averaged nearly an order of magnitude lower in introduced populations (2.19 × 10⁻⁵ substitutions per nucleotide) than in the native range (1.48 ×10⁻⁴ substitutions per nucleotide). Nonsynonymous and synonymous changes had a similar incidence in the introduced populations (p-value = 0.83, averaging respectively 1.08 × 10⁻⁵ and 1.11 × 10⁻⁵ substitutions). By contrast, nonsynonymous changes were ten-fold less frequent than synonymous changes in the native populations (p-value < 0.001, averaging 1.74 × 10⁻⁵ and 1.3 × 10⁻⁴ substitutions, respectively). Patterns of sequence variation in the introduced range were largely congruent across the three insect orders which suggests that they are produced by general processes. This study explores the molecular evolution of introduced species, a fundamental aspect to improve understanding of their biology and manage their impact on ecosystems.

Denna studie utfördes för att identifiera en hittills okänd art för Sverige inom minerarflugsteklarna med hjälp av en genomgående artbeskrivning och gensekvensering av det svenska materialet som samlats in via Station Linnés malaisefälleprojekt. Studien utfördes på 3 individer som hittats i två malaisefällor, i Pajala respektive Övertorneå, och bestod av två honor och en hane. Resultatet visade att studiens individer var den synonymiserade arten Opius saevus/Apodesmia saeva, som tidigare hittats i Iran, Skottland, Nederländerna, Sydkorea, Österrike och Finland. Att den är synonymiserad betyder, i detta fall, att det finns två namn för arten, då forskare inte riktigt håller med om vilket släkte den tillhör. De svenska individerna är svarta med gula ben, har en occipital carina som möter och går ihop i den hypoclypeal carinan samt obefintlig notauli. Andra karaktärer innefattar en elliptisk eller kilformad pterostigma, ett tydligt äggläggningsrör och 30 antennsegment. Fortsatt forskning krävs för att med säkerhet kunna placera arten inom Apodesmia eller Opius, men genom att utföra studier som denna utökas kunskapen om den svenska insektsfaunan hos både forskare och allmänheten. En fullständig revidering är nödvändig inom minerarflugsteklarna för att förenkla framtida forskning och artbestämning, samt minska antalet synonymiseringar., This study was carried out to identify a hitherto unknown species for Sweden within the Opiinae with the help of a thorough species description and gene sequencing of the Swedish material gathered in Station Linnés’ malaise trap project. The study was carried out on 3 individuals, which were found in two malaise traps in Pajala and Övertorneå respectively and consisted of two females and one male. The results showed that the individuals of the study were the synonymized species Opius saevus/Apodesmia saeva, previously found in Iran, Scotland, South Korea, the Netherlands, Austria and Finland. That it is synonymized means, in this case, that there are two names for the species, as scientists do not quite agree on which genus it belongs to. The Swedish individuals are black with yellow legs, have an occipital carina that meets and merges into the hypoclypeal carina and a non-existent notauli. Other characters include an elliptical or wedge-shaped pterostigma, a distinct ovipositor tube, and 30 antennal segments. Placing the species within Apodesmia or Opius cannot be done without further research. But by carrying out studies like this, the knowledge of the Swedish insect fauna is expanded among both researchers and the public. A complete revision is necessary within the Opiinae taxa to simplify future research and species determination, and thereafter reduce the number of synonymizations.

1. Pollinators play a crucial role in ecosystems globally, ensuring the seed production of most flowering plants. They are threatened by global changes and knowledge of their distribution at the national and continental levels is needed to implement efficient conservation actions, but this knowledge is still fragmented and/or difficult to access. 2. As a step forward, we provide an updated list of around 3000 European bee and hoverfly species, reflecting their current distributional status at the national level (in the form of present, absent, regionally extinct, possibly extinct or non-native). This work was attainable by incorporating both published and unpublished data, as well as knowledge from a large set of taxonomists and ecologists in both groups. 3. After providing the first National species lists for bees and hoverflies for many countries, we examine the current distributional patterns of these species and designate the countries with highest levels of species richness. We also show that many species are recorded in a single European country, highlighting the importance of articulating European and national conservation strategies. 4. Finally, we discuss how the data provided here can be combined with future trait and Red List data to implement research that will further advance pollinator conservation.

Hybridisation and gene flow can have both deleterious and adaptive consequences for natural populations and species. To better understand the extent of hybridisation in nature and the balance between its beneficial and deleterious outcomes in a changing environment, information on naturally hybridising nonmodel organisms is needed. This requires the characterisation of the structure and extent of natural hybrid zones. Here, we study natural populations of five keystone mound-building wood ant species in the Formica rufa group across Finland. No genomic studies across the species group exist, and the extent of hybridisation and genomic differentiation in sympatry is unknown. Combining genome-wide and morphological data, we demonstrate more extensive hybridisation than was previously detected between all five species in Finland. Specifically, we reveal a mosaic hybrid zone between Formica aquilonia, F. rufa and F. polyctena, comprising further generation hybrid populations. Despite this, we find that F. rufa, F. aquilonia, F. lugubris and F. pratensis form distinct gene pools in Finland. We also find that hybrids occupy warmer microhabitats than the nonadmixed populations of cold-adapted F. aquilonia, and suggest that warm winters and springs, in particular, may benefit hybrids over F. aquilonia, the most abundant F. rufa group species in Finland. In summary, our results indicate that extensive hybridisation may create adaptive potential that could promote wood ant persistence in a changing climate. Additionally, they highlight the potentially significant ecological and evolutionary consequences of extensive mosaic hybrid zones, within which independent hybrid populations face an array of ecological and intrinsic selection pressures.

In the context of the sixth mass extinction, our understanding of insect decline is severely limited by a lack of information on biodiversity. Many highly abundant and diverse insect groups remain unidentifiable to species or even to genus. The parasitoid wasp superfamily Platygastroidea is one such “dark taxon”. The taxonomic impediment is especially severe in the Palearctic Platygastrinae due to the proliferation of names with vague concepts. Platygastrine wasps parasitize the hyper-diverse Cecidomyiidae (Diptera), suggesting that their species richness may be correspondingly high. Revisionary work is needed to identify named species and to discover new ones. This work applies integrative taxonomic methods to address the most pressing problems within the subfamily. The research presented in this dissertation focuses on Europe, particularly Germany, which is the current center of insect decline research as well as a historical center of platygastrine taxonomy. As part of this work, historical descriptions and their associated type material were examined and clarified so that further revisionary work can occur. The dissertation is structured in five chapters, of which two are published and three are unpublished. The first chapter reviews 18 genera of Platygastridae described by Arnold Förster (1856), most of which represent distinct and recognizable lineages. The study provides their taxonomic history, diagnostic remarks, English translations, and illustrations of important specimens from the Förster collection in the Natural History Museum Vienna. The collection also includes original exemplar specimens of European species whose types have been lost. Potential neotypes and lectotypes from this material are noted, with the aim of improving nomenclatural stability in the group. Potential neotypes were found for Amblyaspis forticornis (Nees, 1834), Isocybus grandis (Nees, 1834), Platygaster striolata Nees, 1834, and Trichacis tristis (Nees, 1834). Lectotypes will be d, Mitten im sechsten Massensterben ist unser Verständnis des Insektenrückgangs durch mangelhafte Informationen über die biologische Vielfalt noch immer stark eingeschränkt. Viele der häufigen und artenreichen Insektengruppen lassen sich nicht bis zur Art oder Gattung bestimmen, verweilen daher im Dunkeln. Platygastroidea, eine Überfamilie parasitoider Wespen, stellt ein solches "dark Taxon" dar. Bei paläarktischen Platygastrinae ist die taxonomische Bearbeitung besonders schwer, da es in einer Vielzahl von Taxa Unklarheiten gibt. Platygastrinae parasitieren die sehr artenreichen Cecidomyiidae (Diptera), was darauf schließen lässt, dass ihr Artenreichtum ebenfalls entsprechend groß sein könnte. Taxonomische Revisionen sind erforderlich, um beschriebene Arten zu identifizieren und neue zu entdecken. Die vorliegende Arbeit nutzt integrative Taxonomie, um die dringendsten Probleme dieser Unterfamilie anzugehen. Der Forschungsschwerpunkt liegt auf Europa, insbesondere Deutschland, das aktuelle Zentrum der Erforschung des Insektensterben, sowie ein historisches Zentrum der Platygastrinen-Taxonomie. Die Dissertation ist in fünf Kapitel unterteilt, von denen zwei veröffentlich und drei unveröffentlicht sind. Das erste Kapitel liefert einen Überblick über die 18 von Arnold Förster (1856) beschriebenen Gattungen der Platygastridae. Informationen über ihre Taxonomie, Anmerkungen zur Diagnose, Übersetzungen sowie Abbildungen wichtiger Exemplare aus der Förster-Sammlung im Naturhistorischen Museum Wien werden bereitgestellt. Die Sammlung Förster enthält zudem wichtige Original-Exemplare europäischer Arten, deren Typen unauffindbar sind. Potenzielle Neotypen und Lectotypen aus diesem Material sind vermerkt, um die nomenklatorische Stabilität der Gruppe zu verbessern. Potenzielle Neotypen wurden für Amblyaspis forticornis (Nees, 1834), Isocybus grandis (Nees, 1834), Platygaster striolata Nees, 1834, und Trichacis tristis (Nees, 1834) gefunden. Lectotypen werden für P. spinigera Nees

Pollinators play a crucial role in ecosystems globally, ensuring the seed production of most flowering plants. They are threatened by global changes and knowledge of their distribution at the national and continental levels is needed to implement efficient conservation actions, but this knowledge is still fragmented and/or difficult to access. As a step forward, we provide an updated list of around 3000 European bee and hoverfly species, reflecting their current distributional status at the national level (in the form of present, absent, regionally extinct, possibly extinct or non-native). This work was attainable by incorporating both published and unpublished data, as well as knowledge from a large set of taxonomists and ecologists in both groups. After providing the first National species lists for bees and hoverflies for many countries, we examine the current distributional patterns of these species and designate the countries with highest levels of species richness. We also show that many species are recorded in a single European country, highlighting the importance of articulating European and national conservation strategies. Finally, we discuss how the data provided here can be combined with future trait and Red List data to implement research that will further advance pollinator conservation., SCOPUS: ar.j, SCOPUS: ar.j, info:eu-repo/semantics/published

The correlation between climatic factors (relative humidity, precipitation, radiation, temperature, and wind) and the time of day with the presence and daily richness of insects was investigated and evaluated in a high Andean ecosystem in southern Ecuador. Insects were collected for 8 months using colored dishes. During this time, 5 environmental variables were recorded and the abundance and wealth of 17 hymenopteran and 14 dipteran families were analyzed with climatic factors using analysis of generalized linear models of mixed effects. Similarities and differences between the abundance of families were determined according to the time of day. In relation to the Hymenoptera, they were positively influenced by temperature and radiation. Diptera were negatively influenced by precipitation and wind. The time influenced the abundance of 8 families of Hymenoptera and 9 families of Diptera. In general, there was a specificity regarding certain families and the factors studied., En un ecosistema altoandino al sur del Ecuador, se investigó y evaluó si existe correlación entre factores climáticos (humedad relativa, precipitación, radiación, temperatura y viento) y la hora del día, con la presencia y riqueza diaria de insectos polinizadores. Se colectaron insectos durante 8 meses usando platos de colores. En este tiempo se registraron 5 variables ambientales y se analizó la abundancia y riqueza de 17 familias de Hymenoptera y 14 de Diptera con los factores climáticos, usando un análisis de modelos lineales generalizados de efectos mixtos, además, se determinó las semejanzas y diferencias entre la abundancia de las familias según la hora del día. En relación con los himenópteros, se vieron influenciados positivamente por la temperatura y la radiación solar; los dípteros fueron influenciados negativamente por la precipitación y el viento. La hora influenció en la abundancia de 8 familias de himenópteros y 9 familias de dípteros. En general existió una especificidad en cuanto a ciertas familias y los factores estudiados.

Pollinators play a crucial role in ecosystems globally, ensuring the seed production of most flowering plants. They are threatened by global changes and knowledge of their distribution at the national and continental levels is needed to implement efficient conservation actions, but this knowledge is still fragmented and/or difficult to access. As a step forward, we provide an updated list of around 3000 European bee and hoverfly species, reflecting their current distributional status at the national level (in the form of present, absent, regionally extinct, possibly extinct or non-native). This work was attainable by incorporating both published and unpublished data, as well as knowledge from a large set of taxonomists and ecologists in both groups. After providing the first National species lists for bees and hoverflies for many countries, we examine the current distributional patterns of these species and designate the countries with highest levels of species richness. We also show that many species are recorded in a single European country, highlighting the importance of articulating European and national conservation strategies. Finally, we discuss how the data provided here can be combined with future trait and Red List data to implement research that will further advance pollinator conservation., Pollinators play a crucial role in ecosystems globally, ensuring the seed production of most flowering plants. They are threatened by global changes and knowledge of their distribution at the national and continental levels is needed to implement efficient conservation actions, but this knowledge is still fragmented and/or difficult to access. As a step forward, we provide an updated list of around 3000 European bee and hoverfly species, reflecting their current distributional status at the national level (in the form of present, absent, regionally extinct, possibly extinct or non-native). This work was attainable by incorporating both published and unpublished data, as well as knowledge from a large set of taxonomists and ecologists in both groups. After providing the first National species lists for bees and hoverflies for many countries, we examine the current distributional patterns of these species and designate the countries with highest levels of species richness. We also show that many species are recorded in a single European country, highlighting the importance of articulating European and national conservation strategies. Finally, we discuss how the data provided here can be combined with future trait and Red List data to implement research that will further advance pollinator conservation.

The pine sawfly Diprion jingyuanensis Xiao and Zhang (Hymenoptera: Diprionidae) is a serious pest of Pinus tabulaeformis Carr. in the Shanxi, Gansu, and Inner Mongolia provinces in P. R. China. The sex pheromone of D. jingyuanensis was shown to be the propionate ester of 3,7-dimethyl-2-tridecanol. Virgin females contained an approximate 1:3 blend of the pheromone precursors erythro-(2S,3S,7R/S and 2R,3R,7R/S)-3,7-dimethyl-2-tridecanol and threo-(2S,3R,7R/S and 2R,3S,7R/S)-3,7-dimethyl-2-tridecanol, but the exact stereoisomers were not determined. Males responded the strongest to the propionate ester of the two threo-isomers, (2S,3R,7R) and (2S,3R,7S), in electroantennogram (EAG) recordings, followed by a significant EAG response to the (2S,3R,7R) propionate of diprionol (pheromone component of D. similis), whereas the remaining two isomers (2S,3S,7S and 2S,3S,7R) of the propionate ester of 3,7-dimethyl-2-tridecanol and the acetate of the (2S,3R,7R) isomer (one of the two pheromone components of D. pini) did not elicit any significant increase in antennal response. In the field, the strongly EAG-active (2S,3R,7R)-isomer alone was only weakly (but significantly) attractive to D. jingyuanensis males at 100 µg, while the equally EAG- active (2S,3R,7S)-isomer alone at the same loading was 8–14 times more attractive than was the (2S,3R,7R)-isomer alone. Traps baited with the same amounts of the two threo-isomers ((2S,3R,7R) and (2S,3R,7S), 100 µg + 100 µg) caught significantly more males than did traps baited with other isomers, either of the two isomers alone or other proportions of the two isomers. Thus, the (2S,3R,7S)-isomer is considered as a strong and essential sex-attractant component for D. jingyuanensis males, whereas the (2S,3R,7R)-isomer is a weak but synergistic sex-attractant. This is one of the few examples of a pine sawfly responding significantly stronger to a binary blend of stereoisomers in a synergistic fashion than to a single stereoisomer alone.

Denna studie utfördes för att identifiera en hittills okänd art för Sverige inom minerarflugsteklarna med hjälp av en genomgående artbeskrivning och gensekvensering av det svenska materialet som samlats in via Station Linnés malaisefälleprojekt. Studien utfördes på 3 individer som hittats i två malaisefällor, i Pajala respektive Övertorneå, och bestod av två honor och en hane. Resultatet visade att studiens individer var den synonymiserade arten Opius saevus/Apodesmia saeva, som tidigare hittats i Iran, Skottland, Nederländerna, Sydkorea, Österrike och Finland. Att den är synonymiserad betyder, i detta fall, att det finns två namn för arten, då forskare inte riktigt håller med om vilket släkte den tillhör. De svenska individerna är svarta med gula ben, har en occipital carina som möter och går ihop i den hypoclypeal carinan samt obefintlig notauli. Andra karaktärer innefattar en elliptisk eller kilformad pterostigma, ett tydligt äggläggningsrör och 30 antennsegment. Fortsatt forskning krävs för att med säkerhet kunna placera arten inom Apodesmia eller Opius, men genom att utföra studier som denna utökas kunskapen om den svenska insektsfaunan hos både forskare och allmänheten. En fullständig revidering är nödvändig inom minerarflugsteklarna för att förenkla framtida forskning och artbestämning, samt minska antalet synonymiseringar., This study was carried out to identify a hitherto unknown species for Sweden within the Opiinae with the help of a thorough species description and gene sequencing of the Swedish material gathered in Station Linnés’ malaise trap project. The study was carried out on 3 individuals, which were found in two malaise traps in Pajala and Övertorneå respectively and consisted of two females and one male. The results showed that the individuals of the study were the synonymized species Opius saevus/Apodesmia saeva, previously found in Iran, Scotland, South Korea, the Netherlands, Austria and Finland. That it is synonymized means, in this case, that there are two names for the species, as scientists do not quite agree on which genus it belongs to. The Swedish individuals are black with yellow legs, have an occipital carina that meets and merges into the hypoclypeal carina and a non-existent notauli. Other characters include an elliptical or wedge-shaped pterostigma, a distinct ovipositor tube, and 30 antennal segments. Placing the species within Apodesmia or Opius cannot be done without further research. But by carrying out studies like this, the knowledge of the Swedish insect fauna is expanded among both researchers and the public. A complete revision is necessary within the Opiinae taxa to simplify future research and species determination, and thereafter reduce the number of synonymizations.

Introduced species provide the opportunity to study evolutionary change on short time scales¿a key first step to understand and manage the ecosystem-level impact of invasions. This study examined mitochondrial DNA sequence variation in cytochrome c oxidase subunit 1 (COI) for 26 insect species - Coleoptera (9), Hymenoptera (9), and Lepidoptera (8) - introduced to the Nearctic from the Palearctic. A total of 6,302 barcode records were retrieved from BOLD (boldsystems.org) to compare sequence diversity between the native and introduced range. As expected, genetic variation averaged nearly an order of magnitude lower in introduced populations (2.19 × 10−5 substitutions per nucleotide) than in the native range (1.48 ×10-4 substitutions per nucleotide). Nonsynonymous and synonymous changes had a similar incidence in the introduced populations (p-value = 0.83, averaging respectively 1.08 × 10-5 and 1.11 × 10-5 substitutions). By contrast, nonsynonymous changes were ten-fold less frequent than synonymous changes in the native populations (p-value < 0.001, averaging 1.74 × 10-5 and 1.3 × 10-4 substitutions, respectively). Patterns of sequence variation in the introduced range were largely congruent across the three insect orders which suggests that they are produced by general processes. This study explores the molecular evolution of introduced species, a fundamental aspect to improve understanding of their biology and manage their impact on ecosystems.

Aim: Wild bees still face striking shortfalls in knowledge of biodiversity in key regions of the world. This includes Europe, where despite a long tradition of data gathering, the continental scale distribution patterns of wild bees have not been systematically analysed to date. This study aims to characterise large-scale biodiversity patterns to: (i) understand spatial–temporal heterogeneity in large-scale databases, (ii) locate genuine diversity hotspots and their relationship with biogeographical patterns or habitats of interests and (iii) identify understudied species and areas to further design conservation actions for most at risk species in key regions. Location: Europe. Taxon: Bees. Methods: We present a continental and standardised study of bee taxonomic and phylogenetic diversity patterns in Europe, using a large compilation of occurrence records of nearly three million validated occurrence records for 1515 wild bee species. Results: Southern and eastern Europe suffer from the largest gaps in data availability while northern and western regions benefit from better historical coverage. Our models show that higher wild bee diversity in Europe is hosted in xeric, warm areas, as highlighted by a clear latitudinal gradient. However, phylogenetic diversity is predicted to be more homogenous across Europe than taxonomic diversity, suggesting that policies and strategies targeted to protect species richness may differ from those targeting greater phylogenetic diversity. Main conclusions: This study represents a significant advance in the characterisation of wild bee distribution patterns across Europe and is an important stepping stone towards the design of more targeted survey efforts and conservation actions of this key group of pollinators. This, in turn, will provide the data necessary to improve the spatiotemporal coverage in a context of ongoing and future Europe-wide monitoring schemes, to ultimately develop cost-effective, coordinated and evidence-based co, SCOPUS: ar.j, info:eu-repo/semantics/published

Plastic pollution is an emerging environmental risk, as it may negatively impact many species. However, much remains to be studied in terrestrial invertebrates, since the information in which this pollutant interacts with insects and soil fauna in natural environments is still limited. Here, we present records of two ant species, Lasius grandis (Forel, 1909) (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) and Monomorium sp. (Hymenoptera: Formicidae), found entangled in synthetic fibres at the summit broom shrubland and canary pine forest in the island of La Palma (Spain), respectively. To our knowledge, this is one of the first reports of ants and other insects being entangled in plastics. Despite our small sample size, this interaction could be more widespread. Among other effects, ants could be transporting small plastic fragments to different soil horizons, but a greater knowledge of ants and other soil invertebrates interacting with plastics would help to improve our understanding of the relationship of this emerging pollutant with soil fauna in ecosystems with different degrees of human use.

Ants have remarkably diverse diets and extraordinary species richness, making them an excellent model system to study the evolution of taste. In this entirely eusocial clade, food choice and the mechanisms that regulate feeding have both individual and social dimensions. How taste receptors and sensory processing drive food preferences to generate dietary breadth in ants is poorly understood. It is additionally unclear how elements of colony organization such as division of labor and social food flow impact the mechanistic basis and evolution of taste. Previous work on dipteran, lepidopteran, and hymenopteran gustatory systems, while foundational, provide limited insights into ant dietary specialization. Here we synthesize and analyze research on ant gustation to identify mechanisms, sociobiological correlates, and phylogenetic patterns. We discuss the current state of genomic analyses of taste and future research. We propose that strikingly polymorphic species of Pheidole, Cephalotes, Camponotus, and leafcutter ants (Atta and Acromyrmex) offer compelling social systems to explore adaptive variation in gustation because of their pronounced division of labor in which morphologically, behaviorally, and neurally differentiated workers vary in feeding behavior. Research on ant gustation within and among species will advance our understanding of sensory systems and provide insight into the impact of taste on the evolution of species diversity and how social organization influences gustation., Ants have remarkably diverse diets and extraordinary species richness, making them an excellent model system to study the evolution of taste. In this entirely eusocial clade, food choice and the mechanisms that regulate feeding have both individual and social dimensions. How taste receptors and sensory processing drive food preferences to generate dietary breadth in ants is poorly understood. It is additionally unclear how elements of colony organization such as division of labor and social food flow impact the mechanistic basis and evolution of taste. Previous work on dipteran, lepidopteran, and hymenopteran gustatory systems, while foundational, provide limited insights into ant dietary specialization. Here we synthesize and analyze research on ant gustation to identify mechanisms, sociobiological correlates, and phylogenetic patterns. We discuss the current state of genomic analyses of taste and future research. We propose that strikingly polymorphic species of Pheidole, Cephalotes, Camponotus, and leafcutter ants (Atta and Acromyrmex) offer compelling social systems to explore adaptive variation in gustation because of their pronounced division of labor in which morphologically, behaviorally, and neurally differentiated workers vary in feeding behavior. Research on ant gustation within and among species will advance our understanding of sensory systems and provide insight into the impact of taste on the evolution of species diversity and how social organization influences gustation.

Fat reserves, specifically the accumulation of triacylglycerols, are a major energy source and play a key role for life histories. Fat accumulation is a conserved metabolic pattern across most insects, yet in most parasitoid species adults do not gain fat mass, even when nutrients are readily available and provided ad libitum. This extraordinary physiological phenotype has evolved repeatedly in phylogenetically dispersed parasitoid species. This poses a conundrum because it could lead to significant constraints on energy allocation toward key adult functions such as survival and reproduction. Recent work on the underlying genetic and biochemical mechanisms has spurred a debate on fat accumulation versus fat production, because of incongruent interpretation of results obtained using different methodologies. This debate is in part due to semantics, highlighting the need for a synthetic perspective on fat accumulation that reconciles previous debates and provides new insights and terminology. In this paper, we propose updated, unambiguous terminology for future research in the field, including “fatty acid synthesis” and “lack of adult fat accumulation”, and describe the distinct metabolic pathways involved in the complex process of lipogenesis. We then discuss the benefits and drawbacks of the main methods available to measure fatty acid synthesis and adult fat accumulation. Most importantly, gravimetric/colorimetric and isotope tracking methods give complementary information, provided that they are applied with appropriate controls and interpreted correctly. We also compiled a comprehensive list of fat accumulation studies performed during the last 25 years. We present avenues for future research that combine chemistry, ecology, and evolution into an integrative approach, which we think is needed to understand the dynamics of fat accumulation in parasitoids.

Ants have remarkably diverse diets and extraordinary species richness, making them an excellent model system to study the evolution of taste. In this entirely eusocial clade, food choice and the mechanisms that regulate feeding have both individual and social dimensions. How taste receptors and sensory processing drive food preferences to generate dietary breadth in ants is poorly understood. It is additionally unclear how elements of colony organization such as division of labor and social food flow impact the mechanistic basis and evolution of taste. Previous work on dipteran, lepidopteran, and hymenopteran gustatory systems, while foundational, provide limited insights into ant dietary specialization. Here we synthesize and analyze research on ant gustation to identify mechanisms, sociobiological correlates, and phylogenetic patterns. We discuss the current state of genomic analyses of taste and future research. We propose that strikingly polymorphic species of Pheidole, Cephalotes, Camponotus, and leafcutter ants (Atta and Acromyrmex) offer compelling social systems to explore adaptive variation in gustation because of their pronounced division of labor in which morphologically, behaviorally, and neurally differentiated workers vary in feeding behavior. Research on ant gustation within and among species will advance our understanding of sensory systems and provide insight into the impact of taste on the evolution of species diversity and how social organization influences gustation., Ants have remarkably diverse diets and extraordinary species richness, making them an excellent model system to study the evolution of taste. In this entirely eusocial clade, food choice and the mechanisms that regulate feeding have both individual and social dimensions. How taste receptors and sensory processing drive food preferences to generate dietary breadth in ants is poorly understood. It is additionally unclear how elements of colony organization such as division of labor and social food flow impact the mechanistic basis and evolution of taste. Previous work on dipteran, lepidopteran, and hymenopteran gustatory systems, while foundational, provide limited insights into ant dietary specialization. Here we synthesize and analyze research on ant gustation to identify mechanisms, sociobiological correlates, and phylogenetic patterns. We discuss the current state of genomic analyses of taste and future research. We propose that strikingly polymorphic species of Pheidole, Cephalotes, Camponotus, and leafcutter ants (Atta and Acromyrmex) offer compelling social systems to explore adaptive variation in gustation because of their pronounced division of labor in which morphologically, behaviorally, and neurally differentiated workers vary in feeding behavior. Research on ant gustation within and among species will advance our understanding of sensory systems and provide insight into the impact of taste on the evolution of species diversity and how social organization influences gustation.

En el presente trabajo se registra la especie Arge quidia Smith, 1989 (Hymenoptera: Symphyta: Argidae) asociada a Coccoloba caracasana Meisn, 1856 (Plantae: Polygonaceae) en el Área Protegida Refugio de Vida Silvestre RAMSAR, Humedal Bahía de Panamá́. Se aportan datos biológicos y ecológicos de A. quidia., In the present work, the species Arge quidia Smith, 1989 (Hymenoptera: Symphyta: Argidae) associated with Coccoloba caracasana Meisn, 1856 (Plantae: Polygonaceae) is recorded in the RAMSAR Wildlife Refuge Protected Area, Bahía de Panamá Wetland. Biological and ecological data of A. quidia are provided.

Pollinators play a crucial role in ecosystems globally, ensuring the seed production of most flowering plants. They are threatened by global changes and knowledge of their distribution at the national and continental levels is needed to implement efficient conservation actions, but this knowledge is still fragmented and/or difficult to access. As a step forward, we provide an updated list of around 3000 European bee and hoverfly species, reflecting their current distributional status at the national level (in the form of present, absent, regionally extinct, possibly extinct or non-native). This work was attainable by incorporating both published and unpublished data, as well as knowledge from a large set of taxonomists and ecologists in both groups. After providing the first National species lists for bees and hoverflies for many countries, we examine the current distributional patterns of these species and designate the countries with highest levels of species richness. We also show that many species are recorded in a single European country, highlighting the importance of articulating European and national conservation strategies. Finally, we discuss how the data provided here can be combined with future trait and Red List data to implement research that will further advance pollinator conservation., Pollinators play a crucial role in ecosystems globally, ensuring the seed production of most flowering plants. They are threatened by global changes and knowledge of their distribution at the national and continental levels is needed to implement efficient conservation actions, but this knowledge is still fragmented and/or difficult to access. As a step forward, we provide an updated list of around 3000 European bee and hoverfly species, reflecting their current distributional status at the national level (in the form of present, absent, regionally extinct, possibly extinct or non-native). This work was attainable by incorporating both published and unpublished data, as well as knowledge from a large set of taxonomists and ecologists in both groups. After providing the first National species lists for bees and hoverflies for many countries, we examine the current distributional patterns of these species and designate the countries with highest levels of species richness. We also show that many species are recorded in a single European country, highlighting the importance of articulating European and national conservation strategies. Finally, we discuss how the data provided here can be combined with future trait and Red List data to implement research that will further advance pollinator conservation.

Bees are important pollinators. However, their numbers and diversity are in decline which poses a serious threat to plant pollination and affects food production. The Big-Bee project (http://big-bee.net) launched in 2021 to research bee ecology and taxonomy through the digitalization of bee specimens. Bees’ ocelli are important navigational organs that receive and evaluate light intensities. The project aims at exploring the impact of bees’ sociality on potential variation in ocelli morphology. By measuring median ocellar width between sexes, I firstly tested whether sexual size dimorphism occurs in ocelli between sexes in the same bee species. Then, I evaluated whether the sexual size dimorphism exists based on social versus solitary bees. The results indicated the existence of a different median ocellar size between males and females within one species. However, such existence does not occur in males and females based on sociality categorization, indicating the sociality might not be a driver in causing the dimorphism. This poster was presented at UC Santa Barbara Undergraduate Research and Creative Activities Poster Colloquim on May 3rd, 2022.

The Cheadle Center for Biodiversity and Ecological Restoration (CCBER) is working with the UCSB Data Science capstone team to continue the research and understanding of bee ecology through image and trait digitalization.In efforts to help researchers involved in the Big-Bee project, we want to automate the process it takes to handle and process the digital images of bees. Given images of bees with a QR/Datamatrix code, we sought to develop scripts that can rename the image files based on the decoded box and extract EXIF metadata. In the latter half of our project, we shift our focus toward the hairy characteristics of bees. Given data of high definition lateral bee images, we want to create models that can quantify how hairy a bee is.  Results Two scripts, the QR Code Scanner & MetaData Extractors, are published on GitHub and are currently used by two academic institutions. More trial testing is required to discover bugs and further improvements for the scripts. Using density as our metric, our U-net and transfer learning method yields an accuracy of 97.68% for bee masking and 87.2% for hair masking. Using entropy as our metric, we were able to compare the average entropy values for different bees binned in the following manner: low, middle, and high hairiness. The box-plot distribution of the bins and t-tests show that there was a positive correlation between bee hairiness and average entropy value. Furthermore, we discover that entropy analysis works best for specimens that have low reflectivity and minimal skin texture. QR Scanner: https://github.com/booleank/Bee-ScannerMetadataExtractor: https://github.com/harperklauke/Metadata-Extractor

Hymenoptera is globally one of the most diverse groups of insects. There are no recent estimates nor sound data on the size of the fauna of this order in the Neotropical Region. Based on printed or digital catalogs, lists, as well as reviews of monographs, and other sources, the Neotropics comprises 26 superfamilies, 92 families, 3,162 genera, and over 33,640 species of Hymenoptera. Hymenoptera diversity in the Neotropics is greater than in the Nearctic, Palearctic and Australian regions. The Neotropics is probably the richest region in the World in families, genera, and species of the order, with the majority of taxa endemic to this region., Hymenoptera es uno de los grupos más diversos de insectos. No hay estimaciones o datos firmes recientes sobre el tamaño de la fauna de este orden en la Región Neotropical. Tomando como base catálogos, listas impresas o en forma digital, además de monografías y otras fuentes, el Neotrópico comprende 26 superfamilias, 92 familias, 3162 géneros y un poco más de 33640 especies. La diversidad de Hymenoptera en el Neotrópico es mayor que en las regiones Neártica, Paleártica y Australiana. Probablemente es el Neotrópico la región más rica del mundo en familias, géneros y especies de Hymenoptera, con la mayoría de taxones endémicos de esta región.

Hymenoptera is globally one of the most diverse groups of insects. There are no recent estimates nor sound data on the size of the fauna of this order in the Neotropical Region. Based on printed or digital catalogs, lists, as well as reviews of monographs, and other sources, the Neotropics comprises 26 superfamilies, 92 families, 3162 genera, and over 33 640 species of Hymenoptera. Hymenoptera diversity in the Neotropics is greater than in the Nearctic, Palearctic and Australian regions. The Neotropics is probably the richest region in the World in families, genera, and species of the order, with the majority of taxa endemic to this region., Hymenoptera es globalmente uno de los grupos más diversos de insectos. No hay estimaciones o datos firmes recientes sobre el tamaño de la fauna de este orden en la Región Neotropical. Tomando como base catálogos, listas impresas o en forma digital, además de monografías y otras fuentes, el Neotrópico comprende 26 superfamilias, 92 familias, 3162 géneros y un poco más de 33 640 especies. La diversidad de Hymenoptera en el Neotrópico es mayor que en las regiones Neártica, Paleártica y Australiana. Probablemente es el Neotrópico la región más rica del mundo en familias, géneros y especies de Hymenoptera, con la mayoría de taxones endémicos de esta región.

The Cheadle Center for Biodiversity and Ecological Restoration (CCBER) is working with the UCSB Data Science capstone team to continue the research and understanding of bee ecology through image and trait digitalization.In efforts to help researchers involved in the Big-Bee project, we want to automate the process it takes to handle and process the digital images of bees. Given images of bees with a QR/Datamatrix code, we sought to develop scripts that can rename the image files based on the decoded box and extract EXIF metadata. In the latter half of our project, we shift our focus toward the hairy characteristics of bees. Given data of high definition lateral bee images, we want to create models that can quantify how hairy a bee is.  Results Two scripts, the QR Code Scanner & MetaData Extractors, are published on GitHub and are currently used by two academic institutions. More trial testing is required to discover bugs and further improvements for the scripts. Using density as our metric, our U-net and transfer learning method yields an accuracy of 97.68% for bee masking and 87.2% for hair masking. Using entropy as our metric, we were able to compare the average entropy values for different bees binned in the following manner: low, middle, and high hairiness. The box-plot distribution of the bins and t-tests show that there was a positive correlation between bee hairiness and average entropy value. Furthermore, we discover that entropy analysis works best for specimens that have low reflectivity and minimal skin texture. QR Scanner: https://github.com/booleank/Bee-ScannerMetadataExtractor: https://github.com/harperklauke/Metadata-Extractor

Bees are important pollinators. However, their numbers and diversity are in decline which poses a serious threat to plant pollination and affects food production. The Big-Bee project (http://big-bee.net) launched in 2021 to research bee ecology and taxonomy through the digitalization of bee specimens. Bees’ ocelli are important navigational organs that receive and evaluate light intensities. The project aims at exploring the impact of bees’ sociality on potential variation in ocelli morphology. By measuring median ocellar width between sexes, I firstly tested whether sexual size dimorphism occurs in ocelli between sexes in the same bee species. Then, I evaluated whether the sexual size dimorphism exists based on social versus solitary bees. The results indicated the existence of a different median ocellar size between males and females within one species. However, such existence does not occur in males and females based on sociality categorization, indicating the sociality might not be a driver in causing the dimorphism. This poster was presented at UC Santa Barbara Undergraduate Research and Creative Activities Poster Colloquim on May 3rd, 2022.

This investigation has been carried out to identification of Ichneumonidae (Hymenoptera) species collected by using sweeping nets and Malaise traps from different localities of Isparta province in Turkey between May 2016 and July 2016. In the current publication 20 species belonging to the subfamilies of Banchinae Wesmael, 1845; Campopleginae Förster, 1869; Cryptinae Kirby, 1837; Diplazontinae Viereck, 1918; Ichneumoninae Latreille, 1802; Orthocentrinae Förster, 1869, Pimplinae Wesmael, 1845 and Tryphoninae Shuckard, 1840 are listed. Among them Olesicampe geniculella (Thomson, 1887), Dicaelotus (Dicaelotus) cameroni Bridgman, 1881, Helictes borealis (Holmgren, 1857) and Townesia tenuiventris (Holmgren, 1860) species are four new records for the fauna of Turkey. A short zoogeographical characterization, distribution in Turkey and world distribution are also mentioned for each species.

The molecular mechanism of complementary sex determination in the haplodiploid organisms is poorly understood and has only been described in the honeybee Apis mellifera. In the haplodiploid system, males develop from unfertilized eggs and females from fertilized eggs. However, in some rare cases, diploid males develop from fertilized eggs. They can be distinguished from diploid and haploid males at the molecular level since they are heterozygous like females but are homozygous, like haploid males, at the sex determination locus. In this project, Osmia bicornis was chosen as the model organism, and the aim is to identify the complementary sex determination locus which should be homozygous in all diploid males. Bee nests were collected from the bees' natural habitat, and potential diploid males were identified. Data analysis of whole-genome sequencing on 17 potential diploid males was performed, which identified 80 candidate sex determination loci with 259 genes. Homologs of the Csd gene in A. mellifera were identified but not found in any candidate complementary sex determination loci.

This investigation has been carried out to identification of Ichneumonidae (Hymenoptera) species collected by using sweeping nets and Malaise traps from different localities of Isparta province in Turkey between May 2016 and July 2016. In the current publication 20 species belonging to the subfamilies of Banchinae Wesmael, 1845; Campopleginae Förster, 1869; Cryptinae Kirby, 1837; Diplazontinae Viereck, 1918; Ichneumoninae Latreille, 1802; Orthocentrinae Förster, 1869, Pimplinae Wesmael, 1845 and Tryphoninae Shuckard, 1840 are listed. Among them Olesicampe geniculella (Thomson, 1887), Dicaelotus (Dicaelotus) cameroni Bridgman, 1881, Helictes borealis (Holmgren, 1857) and Townesia tenuiventris (Holmgren, 1860) species are four new records for the fauna of Turkey. A short zoogeographical characterization, distribution in Turkey and world distribution are also mentioned for each species.

Maskerbijen zijn kleine atypische bijen. Ze zijn weinig behaard en overwegend zwart, waardoor ze eerder op kleine wespjes lijken dan op bijen. De meeste soorten zijn vrij lastig van elkaar te onderscheiden in het veld. De mannetjes hebben meestal een witte of gele maskertekening op de kop. Bij de gegolfde maskerbij is deze zeer karakteristiek. Deze soort werd in 2021 voor het eerst in Nederland aangetroffen. Hiermee voegen we wederom een zuidelijke soort aan onze fauna toe en komt het totale aantal soorten maskerbijen in Nederland op 26.

[cat] Es notifica per primera vegada la presència del gènere Cephalonomia Westwood 1833 a Balears. Es tracta de petites vespes paràsites de larves de coleòpter que poden comportar un risc potencial per a la salut humana. Les picades d’aquestes vespes són doloroses i poden produir reaccions al·lèrgiques severes a algunes persones. Es presenta també un llistat de totes les espècies de la família Bethylidae enregistrades a Balears fins ara., [eng] The genus Cephalonomia Westwood 1833 is reported for the first time in the Balearic Islands. This genus comprises small wasp species that parasite coleoptera larvae and that hold a potential risk for human health. Stings from these wasps can produce severe allergic reactions to some people. A checklist with all Bethylidae species recorded until now in the Balearic Islands is provided.

[cat] Es detecta per primer cop Camponotus barbaricus Emery 1905 a dues localitats a l’illa de Mallorca. Fins ara desconeguda, aquesta espècie de formiga passa a ser la més grossa de tota la nostra fauna. Seria estrany que una formiga d’aquestes dimensions i de comportament agressiu cap a altres artròpodes s’hagi passat per alt fins ara. Per això, sembla que la possibilitat d’una introducció recent és la més probable, tot i que no es pot descartar completament que aquesta espècie sigui en realitat autòctona de l’arxipèlag Balear., [eng] Camponotus barbaricus Emery 1905 is recorded for the first time in two locations on the island of Mallorca. Unknown to the area until now, this ant species has become the biggest of our fauna. It would be odd that such a big species, which also shows aggressive behaviour towards other arthropods, had been overlooked up to this point. For this reason, it seems that the possibility of a recent introduction of this species on the island of Mallorca is the most likely, even though we cannot completely rule out that this species be actually autochthonous to the archipelago.

With climate change, the occurrence of extreme weather events such as heatwaves is expected to increase. Extreme temperature events are short periods of high temperature (i.e., >95th percentile of temperature distribution), and their occurrences are difficult to predict. These extreme temperature events pose great challenges to living organisms, especially ectotherms such as insects whose body temperature is greatly influenced by environmental temperature. Temperature is known to play an essential role in driving insect performance as well as inducing behavioral changes. Exposure to extreme temperatures causes physiological damage leading to potential long-lasting effects on insect performance. We aimed at assessing the impact of direct (i.e., current) and indirect (previously experienced) exposure to extreme temperature on the oviposition success of Diadegma semiclausum Hellén (Hymenoptera: Ichneumonidae). Diadegma semiclausum is a larval endoparasitoid of Plutella xylostella L. (Lepidoptera: Plutellidae), a worldwide pest of brassicaceous crops. Oviposition success, measured as the percentage of parasitized P. xylostella, was significantly lower at 33 °C than at 25 °C. However, previous exposure to 33 °C did not significantly impact the egg-laying performance of D. semiclausum, indicating that, after a heatwave, the egg-laying performance can recover. Neither the direct nor indirect exposure to extreme temperature altered D. semiclausum host-instar preference. These results indicate that temperature directly impacts D. semiclausum parasitism performance, although more detailed research is needed to disentangle direct physiological mechanisms from behavioral responses. Overall, these study results confirm others, suggesting that control of P. xylostella by D. semiclausum is likely to be impaired by more frequent heatwaves predicted under climate change scenarios.

Aportamos 25 primeras citas de distribución insular de insectos (19 correspondientes a dípteros y 6 a himenópteros) de las islas de Lanzarote, Fuerteventura, La Gomera, La Palma y El Hierro (Islas Canarias, España). Destacan primeros registros de especies endémicas hasta este momento monoinsulares como Nemotelus insularis y registros de especies exóticas como Copestylum melleum. Estos resultados ponen de manifiesto la importancia de la realización de estudios faunísticos y corológicos en las islas, ya que aportan información vital para mejorar el conocimiento de la fauna, tanto exótica como nativa, lo que ayuda a desarrollar medidas de gestión y conservación más eficaces.

La introducción de especies exóticas en los ecosistemas puede desencadenar alteraciones ecológicas impredecibles. Torymus sinensis Kamijo (Torymidae) es un parasitoide calcidoideo que se introdujo en España para luchar contra la avispilla del castaño Dryocosmus kuriphilus Yasumatsu (Cynipidae), la plaga más dañina del cultivo del castaño en el mundo. En este trabajo analizamos los potenciales riesgos ambientales derivados de la introducción de T. sinensis sobre la fauna autóctona de cinípidos (avispas formadoras de agallas) y sus parasitoides calcidoideos en Málaga (España). Para ello se recolectaron 3628 agallas de 19 especies de cinípidos en 49 localidades a lo largo de 18 fechas de muestreo repartidas entre junio de 2020 y mayo de 2021, cuantificando la emergencia de parasitoides en laboratorio. Mediante la metodología de redes ecológicas, analizamos la existencia de patrones de interacción en la red cinípidos-parasitoides calcidoideos, estudiamos los atributos de interacción y evaluamos la estabilidad de las redes por medio de extinciones simuladas (extinción aleatoria, extinción priorizando por grado y extinción priorizando los cinípidos menos interconectados). Asimismo, recreamos potenciales escenarios de amenaza a partir de las relaciones observadas en: 1) Málaga intensificado (abundancia de T. sinensis multiplicada x100), y 2) Italia, según Ferracini et al. 2017. En Málaga, T. sinensis emergió de agallas de Biorhiza pallida (Olivier) y de Andricus kollari (Hartig). La red cinípidos-parasitoides calcidoideos presentó un patrón anidado en todos los casos, sin que se detectase modularidad. De manera general, los atributos de interacción fueron similares en la red real y en los escenarios de amenaza. Destacan los elevados valores de conectividad, número de enlaces/especie, V-ratio (agregación de especies) e índice de especialización de esta red antagónica. La extinción de los cinípidos más heterogéneamente interconectados provocó una rápida pérdida de parasitoid

[EN] Some inconsistences in the work of Suárez (1988) came from a confusion with the identity of Krombeinella hebraea (Suárez, 1963). After examining type material from the Suárez collection, a new species of Krombeinella from Turkey previously attributed to K. hebraea is described., [ES] Algunas inconsistencias en el trabajo de Suárez (1988) vienen dadas por la confusión sobre la identidad de Krombeinella hebraea (Suárez, 1963). Tras examinar el material tipo de la colección de Suárez, se describe una nueva especie de Krombeinella de Turquía atribuida con anterioridad a K. hebraea.

The species belonging to the genus Latibulus Gistel, 1848 parasitise social vespids, especially those belonging to the genus Polistes Latreille, 1802. Latibulus orientalis Horstmann, 1987 is here recorded for the first time in continental Europe based on a specimen photographed in El Valle y Carrascoy Regional Park (Murcia, southern Iberia). The specimen was observed investigating nests of Polistes dominula (Christ, 1791), a potential host species. We compare the summer and overwintering forms of the Latibulus species present in Europe, suggest the possibility that in Iberia L. orientalis may be an introduced species and within that scenario discuss its possible introduction pathways., El género Latibulus Gistel, 1848 agrupa a diversas especies de avispas que parasitan véspidos sociales, sobre todo del género Polistes Latreille, 1802. En el presente trabajo se documenta por primera vez en Europa continental la presencia de Latibulus orientalis Horstmann, 1987 a partir de un individuo fotografiado en el parque regional el Valle y Carrascoy (Murcia, sur de Iberia). Dicho individuo se encontró en un campo de cultivo, inspeccionando nidos de Polistes dominula (Christ, 1791), especie potencialmente hospedadora. En este trabajo comparamos las formas estivales y primaverales de las tres especies de Latibulus presentes en Europa, apuntamos la posibilidad de que en Iberia L. orientalis sea una especie introducida, y dentro de esa hipótesis discutimos las posibles vías de entrada.

Temporal genomic studies that utilise museum insects are invaluable for understanding changes in ecological processes in which insects are essential, such as wild and agricultural pollination, seed dispersal, nutrient cycling, and food web architecture, to name a few. However, given such analyses come at the cost of physical damage to museum specimens required for such work, there is a natural interest in the development and/or application of methods to minimise the damage incurred. We explored the efficacy of a recently published single stranded library construction protocol, on DNA extracted from single legs taken from eight dry-preserved historic bee specimens collected 150 years ago. Specifically, the DNA was extracted using a "minimally destructive" method that leaves the samples' exterior intact. Our sequencing data revealed not only that the endogenous DNA recovered from some of the samples was at a relatively high level (up to 58%), but that the complexity of the libraries was sufficient in the best samples to theoretically allow deeper sequencing to a predicted level of 69x genome coverage. As such, these combined protocols offer the possibility to generate sequencing data at levels that are suitable for many common evolutionary genomic analyses, while simultaneously minimising the damage conferred to the valuable dried museum bee samples. Furthermore, we anticipate that these methods may have much wider application on many other invertebrate taxa stored in a similar way. We hope that the results from this research may be able to contribute to the increased willingness of museums to loan much needed dry-preserved insects for future genomic studies.

In mountain ecosystems, climate change can cause spatiotemporal shifts, impacting the composition of communities and altering fundamental biotic interactions, such as those involving flower-visiting arthropods. On of the main problems in assessing the effects of climate change on arthropods in these environments is the lack of baseline data. In particular, the arthropod communities on early flowering high-altitude plants are poorly investigated, although the early season is a critical moment for possible mismatches. In this study, we characterised the flower-visiting arthropod community on the early flowering high-altitude Alpine plant, Androsace brevis (Primulaceae). In addition, we tested the effect of abiotic factors (temperature and wind speed) and other variables (time, i.e., hour of the day, and number of flowers per plant) on the occurrence, abundance, and diversity of this community. A. brevis is a vulnerable endemic species growing in the Central Alps above 2000 m asl and flowering for a very short period immediately after snowmelt, thus representing a possible focal plant for arthropods in this particular moment of the season. Diptera and Hymenoptera were the main flower visitors, and three major features of the community emerged: an evident predominance of anthomyiid flies among Diptera, a rare presence of bees, and a relevant share of parasitoid wasps. Temperature and time (hour of the day), but not wind speed and number of flowers per plant, affected the flower visitors’ activity. Our study contributes to (1) defining the composition of high-altitude Alpine flower-visiting arthropod communities in the early season, (2) establishing how these communities are affected by environmental variables, and (3) setting the stage for future evaluation of climate change effects on flower-visiting arthropods in high-altitude environments in the early season.

The molecular mechanism of complementary sex determination in the haplodiploid organisms is poorly understood and has only been described in the honeybee Apis mellifera. In the haplodiploid system, males develop from unfertilized eggs and females from fertilized eggs. However, in some rare cases, diploid males develop from fertilized eggs. They can be distinguished from diploid and haploid males at the molecular level since they are heterozygous like females but are homozygous, like haploid males, at the sex determination locus. In this project, Osmia bicornis was chosen as the model organism, and the aim is to identify the complementary sex determination locus which should be homozygous in all diploid males. Bee nests were collected from the bees' natural habitat, and potential diploid males were identified. Data analysis of whole-genome sequencing on 17 potential diploid males was performed, which identified 80 candidate sex determination loci with 259 genes. Homologs of the Csd gene in A. mellifera were identified but not found in any candidate complementary sex determination loci.

This investigation has been carried out to identification of Ichneumonidae (Hymenoptera) species collected by using sweeping nets and Malaise traps from different localities of Isparta province in Turkey between May 2016 and July 2016. In the current publication 20 species belonging to the subfamilies of Banchinae Wesmael, 1845; Campopleginae Förster, 1869; Cryptinae Kirby, 1837; Diplazontinae Viereck, 1918; Ichneumoninae Latreille, 1802; Orthocentrinae Förster, 1869, Pimplinae Wesmael, 1845 and Tryphoninae Shuckard, 1840 are listed. Among them Olesicampe geniculella (Thomson, 1887), Dicaelotus (Dicaelotus) cameroni Bridgman, 1881, Helictes borealis (Holmgren, 1857) and Townesia tenuiventris (Holmgren, 1860) species are four new records for the fauna of Turkey. A short zoogeographical characterization, distribution in Turkey and world distribution are also mentioned for each species.

In mountain ecosystems, climate change can cause spatiotemporal shifts, impacting the composition of communities and altering fundamental biotic interactions, such as those involving flower-visiting arthropods. On of the main problems in assessing the effects of climate change on arthropods in these environments is the lack of baseline data. In particular, the arthropod communities on early flowering high-altitude plants are poorly investigated, although the early season is a critical moment for possible mismatches. In this study, we characterised the flower-visiting arthropod community on the early flowering high-altitude Alpine plant, Androsace brevis (Primulaceae). In addition, we tested the effect of abiotic factors (temperature and wind speed) and other variables (time, i.e., hour of the day, and number of flowers per plant) on the occurrence, abundance, and diversity of this community. A. brevis is a vulnerable endemic species growing in the Central Alps above 2000 m asl and flowering for a very short period immediately after snowmelt, thus representing a possible focal plant for arthropods in this particular moment of the season. Diptera and Hymenoptera were the main flower visitors, and three major features of the community emerged: an evident predominance of anthomyiid flies among Diptera, a rare presence of bees, and a relevant share of parasitoid wasps. Temperature and time (hour of the day), but not wind speed and number of flowers per plant, affected the flower visitors’ activity. Our study contributes to (1) defining the composition of high-altitude Alpine flower-visiting arthropod communities in the early season, (2) establishing how these communities are affected by environmental variables, and (3) setting the stage for future evaluation of climate change effects on flower-visiting arthropods in high-altitude environments in the early season.

Biodiversity on Earth is experiencing rapidly increasing and unprecedented threats from anthropogenic causes. Around 1 million species have been assessed as threatened with extinction and without decisive actions to reduce the intensity of biodiversity loss mechanisms, extinctions will continue to increase at rates equivalent to those of previous mass extinction events. To objectively assess the state of biodiversity and understand the role and impact of drivers of biodiversity loss at species level, numerous high-quality and robust data are required. However, these data are lacking for many species in nearly all groups of living species. Wild bees constitute the most important group of pollinators of flowering plants, including many crops. This key ecosystem service is under threat by declines of their populations, induced by anthropogenic factors, and documented by several studies. Despite their importance, research on wild bees still faces prominent knowledge gaps, which hinder the description of their ecology and diversity, the assessment of their status in face of decline factors, and ultimately their conservation. Consequently, the overall objective of this thesis is to provide a comprehensive scheme for the study of wild bees from the identification of gaps, through robust data collection, to the prediction of diversity patterns and the impact of local and larger scale factors. This thesis investigated, for the first time, spatial patterns of wild bee diversity and knowledge gaps (i.e. shortfalls) at a continental scale (Europe) using the largest ever compilation of occurrence records (chapters 3 and 4). Our results show that genuine hotspots of wild bee diversity in Europe are hosted in xeric, warm areas, as highlighted by a clear latitudinal gradient, indicating that bees have kept an ancestral link with xeric climates (chapter 3). Despite major advances over the past few decades, our understanding of wild bee diversity, declines and distribution in Europe, La biodiversité sur Terre est confrontée à des menaces d’origine anthropique sans précédent et qui ne cessent de se multiplier. Environ un million d'espèces ont à ce jour été reconnues comme menacées d'extinction. Et l'absence d'actions décisives visant à réduire l'intensité des mécanismes d’appauvrissement de la biodiversité, les extinctions continueront à augmenter à des rythmes équivalents à ceux des précédents événements d'extinction massive. Pour évaluer objectivement l’état de la biodiversité et comprendre le rôle et l'impact des facteurs de perte de biodiversité au niveau des espèces, il est essentiel de disposer de données nombreuses, robustes et de haute qualité. Or, ces données font défaut pour de nombreuses espèces dans presque tous les groupes d'espèces vivantes. Les abeilles sauvages constituent le groupe le plus important de pollinisateurs des plantes à fleurs, parmi lesquelles de nombreuses cultures. Ce service écosystémique essentiel est menacé par le déclin de leur population, induit par des facteurs anthropiques et attesté par plusieurs études. Malgré cela, la recherche sur les abeilles sauvages est toujours entravée par d’importantes lacunes en termes de connaissances, qui constituent autant d’obstacles à la description de leur écologie et de leur diversité, à l’évaluation de leur statut face aux facteurs de déclin et finalement à leur conservation. Par conséquent, l'objectif général de cette thèse est de fournir un schéma complet pour l'étude des abeilles sauvages, de l'identification des lacunes existantes jusqu’à la prédiction de modèles de diversité et de l’impact des facteurs locaux et à plus grande échelles, en passant par la collecte de données robustes. Cette thèse a permis l’étude, pour la première fois, des schémas spatiaux de la diversité des abeilles sauvages et des lacunes dans les connaissances de cette diversité et ce, à l'échelle continentale (en Europe), en utilisant la plus grande compilation de données d'occurrences jamais rasse, Doctorat en Sciences agronomiques et ingénierie biologique, info:eu-repo/semantics/nonPublished