Search

In the parasitoid genus Sclerodermus, multiple foundresses produce and care for communal broods on large hosts, which can lead to greater reproductive success for group members than attempting to reproduce alone. We explore the consequences of foundress group size on the benefits of cooperative brooding and on brood sex ratios by providing groups of 10-55 foundresses with a single host and no alternative reproductive options. Within this range, increasing foundress group size leads to increasingly common failure in brood production and diminished per capita success. Group production of adult offspring declines once foundress number reaches around 25. Brood failure is usually at the early developmental stages, and current evidence suggests that there may be competition among foundresses for oviposition sites, possibly involving reproductive dominance and ovicide, which also delays initial brood production. Once broods become established, their rate of development is enhanced by large foundress numbers. The sex ratios of broods are very strongly female biased, irrespective of the foundress number. As this bias is not easily explained by standard models of local mate competition or by a recent model of local resource enhancement, we suggest an explanation based on control of sex allocation by a minority of dominant foundresses, which monopolise the production of adult males.

Sclerodermus ephippius Saunders, 1881 Diagnosis. Female: Body length 3.5 mm (Fig. 4a). Head, mesoscutellum, femora, tibiae and metasoma dark castaneous; antenna, clypeus, mandible, palpi, dorsal pronotal area, metapectal-propodeal disc, coxae, trochanters, and tarsi light castaneous. Head nearly quadrate, scarcely longer than wide, sides of head mostly straight; vertex slightly outcurved (Fig. 4b). Clypeus with median lobe trapezoidal. Mandible with three teeth, two dorsal teeth large and sharp. Frons weakly coriaceous, nearly polished, punctures very sparse and inconspicuous. Ocelli absent. Eye small and glabrous; distance between toruli less than their own diameters. Mesopleuron without pits and foveae. Dorsal pronotal area long, metapectal-propodeal disc and mesoscutellum almost equally sized. Mesoscutellum equilateral triangle-shaped with broadly curved posterior side. Metapectal-propodeal disc trapezoidal, side diverging posteriorly, median, lateral and posterior transverse carinae absent (Fig. 4c). Propodeal spiracle circular. Metasoma stout, 0.53 × as long as body, posterior margin of sternites IV–VI conspicuously bi-emarginated. Material examined: Turkey, Samsun, Ýlkadım, 75 m, 10.IV.2022, 2♀; Samsun, Çarşamba, 30 m, 14.V.2022, 1♀; 15.VII.2022, 1♀. Distribution: Albania (Gordh & Móczár 1990). Now, it is recorded for the first time from Turkey., Published as part of Can, İlyas, 2022, The Turkish Bethylidae (Hymenoptera, Chrysidoidea) fauna, with the new records of Epyrinae and Scleroderminae, pp. 447-456 in Zootaxa 5169 (5) on pages 451-452, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5169.5.3, http://zenodo.org/record/6952661, {"references":["Saunders, S. S. (1881) On the habits and affinities of the hymenopterous genus Scleroderma, with descriptions of new species. Entomological Society of London. Transactions, 1881 (1), 109 - 116.","Gordh, G. & Moczar, L. (1990) A catalog of the world Bethylidae (Hymenoptera). Memoirs of the American Entomological Institute, 46, 1 - 364."]}

Sclerodermus galapagensis Brues, 1919 Fig. 1B Diagnosis, female. Body 2.88 mm long. Castaneous, metasoma darker. Mandible with two apical teeth. Clypeus very short and truncate, apical margin strongly curved upward medially in frontal view. Antenna thick, pedicel long, first four antennomeres in ratio of about 18:7:2:2, flagellomeres wider than long, except last. Eye with sparse setae. Ocelli absent. Frons weakly coriaceous, punctures very sparse and inconspicuous. LH 1.21 WH, WF 0.55 WH, WF 1.82 HE. Vertex slightly outcurved. Sides of head slightly outcurved. VOL 2.09 HE. Mesoscutum 1.32 as wide as long. Metapectal-propodeal disc nearly quadrate, side subparallel, base only slightly constricted, without median and posterior carinae. Micropterous, wings much shorter than tegula. Profemur 2.0 as long as wide. Metasoma stout, 0.6 as long as body, apical margin of sternites IV–VI conspicuously bi-emarginated. Material examined. Holotype, ♀, ECUADOR, Galapagos, James Island, 2000 feet, 22.XII.1905, F. X. Williams col. (CASC, #462)., Published as part of Azevedo, Celso O. & Colombo, Wesley D., 2022, Synopsis of the Neotropical Sclerodermus Latreille (Hymenoptera, Bethylidae) with description of a new species attacking human beings, pp. 501-519 in Zootaxa 5124 (5) on page 506, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5124.5.1, http://zenodo.org/record/6416940

Sclerodermus wilsoni Evans, 1964 Fig. 1G Diagnosis, female. Body 2.44 mm long. Castaneous, metasoma darker. Mandible with two apical teeth, narrow apically. Clypeus very short and slightly concave, apical margin curved upward medially in frontal view. Antenna thick, pedicel long, flagellomeres wider than long, except last. Eye with sparse short setae. Frons weakly coriaceous, nearly polished, punctures sparse and inconspicuous. LH 1.15 WH, WF 0.52 WH, WF 1.47 HE. Vertex barely outcurved. Sides of head subparallel. VOL 1.28 HE. Mesoscutum 1.1 as wide as long. Metapectal-propodeal disc nearly quadrate, side subparallel, base only slightly constricted, without median and posterior carinae. Micropterous, wings much shorter than tegula. Profemur 1.6 as long as wide. Metasoma stout, 0.56 as long as body, apical margin of sternites IV–VI conspicuously bi-emarginated. Material examined. Holotype ♀, CUBA, Pinar de Rio, Las Acostas, 16.VI.[19]53, E. O. Wilson col. (MCZH, #30813)., Published as part of Azevedo, Celso O. & Colombo, Wesley D., 2022, Synopsis of the Neotropical Sclerodermus Latreille (Hymenoptera, Bethylidae) with description of a new species attacking human beings, pp. 501-519 in Zootaxa 5124 (5) on page 509, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5124.5.1, http://zenodo.org/record/6416940, {"references":["Evans, H. E. (1964) A synopsis of the American Bethylidae (Hymenoptera, Aculeata). Bulletin of the Museum of Comparative Zoology, 132, 1 - 222."]}

Sclerodermus chicomendesi Azevedo & Colombo, sp. nov. Figs 1H, 3–4 Differential Diagnosis. This species is similar to S. spilonotum in having the head elongate with outcurved sides, and the metapectal-propodeal disc slightly constricted anteriorly. However, this species has the mandibles with three apical teeth and the clypeus with median lobe trapezoidal, whereas S. spilonotum has the mandibles with two apical teeth and the clypeus with the median lobe short and with its apical margin subangulate. Besides the characters highlighted in the key, the pattern of colour is significantly different, this species has the head and mesosoma varying from light castaneous to castaneous, with the metasoma contrastingly darker, whereas S. spilonotum is mostly dark castaneous. Description, female. Measurements. Body 2.32 mm long. Head 0.34 mm long and 0.32 mm wide. Frons 0.17 mm wide. Eye 0.11 mm long. Wings 0.08 mm. Colour. Head castaneous, mesosoma light castaneous to castaneous, metasoma dark castaneous, clypeus castaneous, antenna and palpi light castaneous, mandible castaneous with dark apex, legs light castaneous to castaneous. Wings hyaline. Head. Mandible progressively narrowing apicad, with three sharpened apical teeth in oblique series. Median clypeal lobe short and trapezoidal, median area elevated and carinate, carina straight in profile, anterior margin upcurved medially. Malar space broad, without sulcus. Pedicel longer than flagellomeres I–II together. Flagellomeres I–X wider than long. Antennal pubescence appressed, very short and dense, velvet-like, with some suberect or erect setae outstanding progressively shorter distad. Ocelli absent. Frons very weakly coriaceous, punctures very sparse and inconspicuous. LH 1.1 WH, WF 0.55 WH, WF 1.61 HE. Vertex slightly outcurved. Sides of head slightly outcurved, head wider posteriorly eye. VOL 2.29 HE. Mesosoma. Dorsal pronotal area subquadrate in dorsal view, slightly longer than wide, with anterior humeral angle rounded. Mesoscutellum equilaterally triangled. Metapectal-propodeal disc as long as wide, without metapostnotal median and posterior carinae, surface of disc progressively depressing posterad. Propodeal declivity subvertical, ecarinate. Mesopleuron without pits and foveae. Tegula very small as scale. Micropterous, wing slightly longer than tegula, veins absent. Profemur 2.1 as long as wide. Mesotibia spinose. Metasoma. Stout, longer than head and mesosoma together, 0.57 as long as body, apical margin of sternites IV–VI bi-emarginated, surface of last sterna somewhat flat. Description, male. Measurements. Body 1.85 mm long. Head 0.26 mm long and 0.22 mm wide. Frons 0.13 mm wide. Eye 0.11 mm long. Forewing 1.46 mm long. Hind wing 1.23 mm long. Colour. Head, clypeus, antenna, mandible, mesosoma, metasoma, coxae, trochanters, pro- and mesofemora dark castaneous, metafemur, tibiae and tarsi castaneous, palpi light castaneous; forewing subhyaline, veins transparent, progressively lighter posterad. Head. Mandible evenly wide along its length, with three apical teeth, two lower sharpened, upper one rounded. Clypeus with short trapezoidal median lobe, apical margin almost straight, median carina complete, but weak, straight in lateral profile, lateral lobe defined, short. Antenna, pedicel much longer than wide, flagellomere I about as long as wide, remaining flagellomeres distincly longer than wide, flagellomeral pubescence suberect, setae slighlty longer than half flagellomeral diameter. Distance between toruli about 0.5 their own diameters. Eye with few setae. Frons weakly coriaceous, with very few indistinguisable punctures, with weak and short anterior median line. LH 1.18 WH, WF 0.6 WH, WF 1.18 HE. OOL 1.19 WOT; ocellar triangle distant from vertex crest 0.33 DAO, its frontal angle slightly acute. Vertex weakly outcurved, corners broadly rounded, temple almost parallel in frontal view. VOL 1.08 HE. Malar space evident, about one third of mandibular basal width, malar line sulcate and complete, giving rise closed to dorsal mandibular condyle. Occipital carina weak posteriorly and laterally, absent ventrally. Hypostoma evenly curved. Medioccipito-genal carina complete. Mesosoma. Pronotal dorsal area ecarinate, bell-shaped with anterior margin evenly outcurved, surface evenly depressed forward, pronotal flange short and subvertical, almost indistinguisable from pronotal dorsal area. Notaulus very ill-defined, weak and inconspicuous, almost indistinguisable. Parapsidal signum very ill-defined, weak and inconspicuous, almost indistinguisable, present only on posterior half of anteromesoscutum. Mesoscutummesoscutellar sulcus well-defined and deep, anterior margin straight and posterior margin evenly incurved, so that sulcus widens laterally, but not forming lateral pits. Metapectal-propodeal disc weakly coriaceous almost polished, 1.11 as wide as long, side parallel, metapostnotal median, metapostnotal lateral and posterior transverse carinae absent, posterior area smoothly depressed postarad. Propodeal declivity ecarinate, very weakly coriaceous laterally and progressively polished mesad. Propodeal spiracle round placed fully at lateral surface of metapectal-propodeal complex. Mesopleuron with subalar impression narrow as sulcus, mesepimeral sulcus inconspicuous, mesopleural pit very shallow and very small, posterior obliquus sulcus, anterior and upper mesopleural pit absent, transepisternal line inconspicuous. Prepectus concave and coriaceous. Forewing with costal cell opened by absence of costal vein; radial cell fully closed; Rs&M vein wider than other; M+Cu, cu-a and 2r-rs&Rs veins absent, fringes of anterior and apical margins distinctly longer. Hind wing with three distal hamuli, median hamulus slightly closer to apical one, without any proximal hamuli, fringes of apical and posterior margins distinctly longer. Legs not spinose. Profemur 3.4 as long as wide. Metasoma.Weakly coriaceous, segments II–III about 0.5 metasomal length.Hypopygium somewhat sublogenzeshaped, spiculum conical, not stalk-shaped at all, posterior margin outcurved. Genitalia: harpe divided in two arms, ventral arm longer and much wider than dorsal arm, about evenly wide, apical margin broadly slighlty outcurved with ventral corner rounded and dorsal corner angulate, ventral margin slightly outcurved, dorsal somewhat straight, dorsal arm somewhat logenze-shaped when seen in its in full lateral view, apical margin narrowly rounded, ventral margin outcurved, dorsal margin straight; cuspis rectangular when seen in its full lateral view, wide, apical margin somewhat straight, with small emargination close to ventral corner; aedeagus with of pair of rounded apical lobes. Material examined. Holotype, ♀, BRAZIL, Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, 5.ix.2016, manually collected in a home office in the urban area (MNRJ). Allotype ♂, paratypes 1♂ and 7♀, same data as holotype (MNRJ). Remarks. This new species is similar to S. spilonotum as aforementioned in the Differential Diagnosis section. The main differences are related to the coloration, number of mandibular teeth and shape of the median clypeal lobe. This can seem limited like morphological information to distinguish any putative new species of Sclerodermus. However, several of the sclerodermine genera and species have reduction of structures and extreme polymorphism (Vargas et al. 2020), which results in additional difficulties in delimiting genera and species, mostly because of the aptery. Such is the scenario for Sclerodermus, where there are few characters to provide confident taxonomic delimitation of species. For instance, the key to the females of the Nearctic species of Sclerodermus by Evans (1978) is based on coloration and shape of median clypeal lobe; and the key for the females of the French species by Berland (1928) is based only on coloration. Bernard & Jacquemin (1948) delimited the Northern African species of Sclerodermus based on mandibular teeth and shape of the median clypeal lobe. In summary, the reduction of structures in apterous forms constrains the delimitation of Sclerodermus species to just a few morphological characters. Host. This new species was found attacking a woman in her office in the municipality of Porto Alegre, South Brazil. Her office has wood furniture, which was observed to have many holes bored by Tricorynus Waterhouse, 1849, Ptinidae, Mesocoelopodinae (Fig. 6), from where both Sclerodermus chicomendesi n. sp. and its host Tricorynus beetles were observed leaving the furniture several times. This species of Sclerodermus frequently attacked the woman causing Erythematous papular injury in her skin (Fig. 7). Etymology. This species is named after Chico Mendes, who was one of the greatest Brazilian environmentalists, fighting for the rubber tappers against illegal farmers and land invaders mainly in the Amazonian Rain Forest in Acre, Brazil., Published as part of Azevedo, Celso O. & Colombo, Wesley D., 2022, Synopsis of the Neotropical Sclerodermus Latreille (Hymenoptera, Bethylidae) with description of a new species attacking human beings, pp. 501-519 in Zootaxa 5124 (5) on pages 509-513, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5124.5.1, http://zenodo.org/record/6416940, {"references":["Vargas R., J. M., Colombo, W. D. & Azevedo, C. O. (2020) Revisited phylogeny of Scleroderminae (Hymenoptera: Bethylidae) reveals a plastic evolutionary history. Arthropod Systematics & Phylogeny, 78, 217 - 243. https: // doi. org / 10.26049 / ASP 78 - 2 - 2020 - 02","Evans, H. E. (1978) The Bethylidae of America North of Mexico. Memoirs of the American Entomological Institute, 27, 1 - 332.","Berland, L. (1928) Faune de France 19. Hymenopteres vespiformes II. Office Central de Faunistique, Paris, 215 pp.","Bernard, F. & Jacquemin, P. (1948) Effets des piqures de Scleroderma (Hymenopteres Bethylidae), et revision des especes nordafricaines. Bulletin de la Societe d'Histoire Naturelle de l'Afrique du Nord, 39, 160 - 167."]}

Sclerodermus formicarius Kieffer, 1921 The type series of this species is lost. It was deposited in the private Bruch collection, which was supposed to be incorporated in the Museo Argentino de Ciencias Naturales “Bernardino Rivadavia” and Museo de la Plata (Lanteri & Martínez 2012). However, the first author was not able to find any material in his visit to the former, and the curator of the latter neither. The original description of this species by Kieffer (1921) was mostly based on colouration and did not provide enough reliable taxonomic information to get a precise identification. The main characters that are possible to extract from the original description are: head quadrate, slightly longer than wide, and wider than thorax; eye subcircular, very close to mandible, and length less than 0.5 × distance to vertex crest; dorsal pronotal area long, metapectal-propodeal disc longer than mesoscutellum; wings absent; metasoma slightly longer than the rest of body, and as wide as head. Evans (1968) tentatively identified five Brazilian specimens. Nevertheless, this act lacks confidence. Given the scenario aforementioned, we have not keyed this species in order to avoid any future unprecise identification, since it is unidentifiable in the present time., Published as part of Azevedo, Celso O. & Colombo, Wesley D., 2022, Synopsis of the Neotropical Sclerodermus Latreille (Hymenoptera, Bethylidae) with description of a new species attacking human beings, pp. 501-519 in Zootaxa 5124 (5) on pages 505-506, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5124.5.1, http://zenodo.org/record/6416940, {"references":["Kieffer, J. J. (1921) Proctotrypides hotes des fourmis en Argentine. Anales de la Sociedad Cientifica Argentina, 91, 36 - 41.","Lanteri, A. A. & Martinez, A. (2012) Carlos Bruch: pionero de los estudios entomologicos en la Argentina. Revista de la Sociedad de Entomologia de Argentina, 71 (3 - 4), 179 - 185.","Evans, H. E. (1968) The genus Scleroderma in South America (Hymenoptera, Bethylidae). Papeis Avulsos de Zoologia, 22, 103 - 106."]}

Key to Neotropical species 1. Macropterous forms, usually males (Fig. 4A)............................................................... 2 - Apterous or micropterous forms, usually females (Fig. 1)...................................................... 4 2. Forewing with Cu vein mostly tubular (Fig. 2B)............................................ S. domesticus Latreille - Forewing with Cu vein fully weakly spectral (Fig. 4E)........................................................ 3 3. Forewing with basal half of A vein tubular (as much as Fig. 118, Evans 1964, pg. 175)........... S. macrogaster Ashmead - Forewing with A vein wholly spectral (Fig. 4E)............................................ S. chicomendesi n. sp. 4. Apterous (Fig. 1E)..................................................................... S. soror Westwood - Micropterous (Fig. 1F)................................................................................ 5 5. Latero-posterior corner of metapectal-propodeal disc angled (Fig. 1A).......................... S. domesticus Latreille - Latero-posterior corner of metapectal-propodeal disc rounded (Fig. 1D).......................................... 6 6. Lateral board of metapectal-propodeal disc straight (Fig. 1C)................................................... 7 - Lateral board of metapectal-propodeal disc constricted anteriorly (Fig. 1D)....................................... 8 7. Side of head wholly outcurved, metapectal-propodeal disc about evenly wide (Fig. 1B)............. S. galapagensis Brues - Side of head straight anteriorly, metapectal-propodeal disc progressively wider posteriorly (Fig. 1C).................................................................................................. S. iridomyrmicicola Bruch 8. Side of head wholly straight and parallel (Fig. 1G).............................................. S. wilsoni Evans - Side of head wholly outcurved (Fig. 1D).................................................................. 9 9. Head about as wide as long (Fig. 1D).................................................. S. macrogaster Ashmead - Head longer than wide (Fig. 1F)......................................................................... 10 10. Mandible tridentate; median clypeal lobe trapezoidal (Figs 4C)............................... S. chicomendesi n. sp. - Mandible bidentate; median clypeal lobe subangulate (Fig. 1F)................................. S. spilonotum Evans, Published as part of Azevedo, Celso O. & Colombo, Wesley D., 2022, Synopsis of the Neotropical Sclerodermus Latreille (Hymenoptera, Bethylidae) with description of a new species attacking human beings, pp. 501-519 in Zootaxa 5124 (5) on page 514, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5124.5.1, http://zenodo.org/record/6416940, {"references":["Evans, H. E. (1964) A synopsis of the American Bethylidae (Hymenoptera, Aculeata). Bulletin of the Museum of Comparative Zoology, 132, 1 - 222."]}

Sclerodermus macrogaster (Ashmead, 1887) Fig. 1D Diagnosis, female. Micropterous forms. Body 3.07 mm long. Castaneous, propodeum lighter. Mandible with two apical teeth. Clypeus very short and truncate, apical margin curved upward medially in frontal view. Antenna thick, pedicel long, first four Antennomeres in ratio of about 17:6:2:2, flagellomeres wider than long, except last. Eye with sparse setae. Ocelli absent. Frons weakly coriaceous, nearly polished, punctures very sparse and inconspicuous. LH 1.13 WH, WF 0.5 WH, WF 1.47 HE. Vertex nearly straight. Sides of head slightly outcurved. VOL 1.32 HE. Mesoscutum 1.1 as wide as long. Metapectal-propodeal disc nearly quadrate, side subparallel, base only slightly constricted, without metapostnotal median carina and posterior transverse carina. Micropterous forms: wing slightly longer than tegula, veins absent. Profemur 2.13 as long as wide. Metasoma stout, 0.58 as long as body, apical margin of sternites IV–VI conspicuously bi-emarginated. Macropterous forms: clypeus very short, median lobe subtrapezoidal, apical margin weakly incurved. Ocellar triangle close to vertex crest, frontal angle slightly obtuse. Vertex and sides of head slightly outcurved. Notauli poorly impressed, straight, incomplete posteriorly, parallel. Parapsidal signum short. Metapectal-propodeal disc nearly quadrate, side subparallel, without metapostnotal median carina and posterior transverse carina. Claws bifid, teeth very small. Forewing slender, with one Radial cell closed, C and 2r-rs&Rs veins absent, pterostigma small, Anal vein nebulous distally, Cu vein fully nebulous. Diagnosis, male. Hypopygium with spiculum slighlty short than plate, lateral stalk absent, posterior margin outcurved. Genitalia: harpe divided in two arms, dorsal arm longer and much narrower than ventral arm; cuspis wide, apical margin incurved; aedeagus somewhat diamond-shaped, with of pair of rounded apical lobes. Material examined. Holotype ♀: [U.S.A.], Fl [orid]a, Jacks [o]nville (USNM, #14049). Remarks. The original description was based on one single supposedly apterous female from Florida, United States (Ashmead 1887). After that, Wheeler (1928) reared this species in a laboratory and was able to get both apterous and, more rarely, macropterous females, and both macropterous and even more rarely apterous males. The diagnoses of the male and the macropterous female are based on figures of Evans (1964, pg. 175)., Published as part of Azevedo, Celso O. & Colombo, Wesley D., 2022, Synopsis of the Neotropical Sclerodermus Latreille (Hymenoptera, Bethylidae) with description of a new species attacking human beings, pp. 501-519 in Zootaxa 5124 (5) on pages 506-507, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5124.5.1, http://zenodo.org/record/6416940, {"references":["Ashmead, W. H. (1887) Studies on the North American Proctotrupidae with descriptions of new species from Florida. Entomologica Americana, 3, 73 - 76.","Wheeler, W. M. 1928. The social insects: their origin and evolution. Harcourt Brace and Co., New York, 378 p. https: // doi. org / 10.5962 / bhl. title. 140774","Evans, H. E. (1964) A synopsis of the American Bethylidae (Hymenoptera, Aculeata). Bulletin of the Museum of Comparative Zoology, 132, 1 - 222."]}

Sclerodermus spilonotum Evans, 1968 Fig. 1E Diagnosis, female. Body 3.0 mm long. Head, mesosoma, metasoma, legs dark castaneous, antenna, mandible, clypeus, and anterior area of pronotum and mesoscutum light castaneous. Mandible with two apical teeth, base wide, apex very narrow. Medial clypeal lobe short and subangulate. Flagellomeres I–X wider than long. Ocelli absent. Frons nearly polished, punctures very sparse and inconspicuous. LH 1.22 WH, WF 0.55 WH, WF 1.8 HE. Vertex slightly outcurved. Sides of head slightly outcurved, head wider posteriorly eye. VOL 2.43 HE. Metapectalpropodeal disc as long as wide, without metapostnotal median and posterior carinae. Tegula apparently present, but small as scale. Micropterous, forewing 0.14 mm long, hind wing 0.14 mm long. Profemur 2.0 as long as wide. Metasoma stout, 0.61 as long as body, apical margin of sternites IV–VI bi-emarginated, last not deeply. Material examined. Holotype, ♀, BRAZIL, São Paulo, São Paulo, 1–15.XI.1967, K. Lenko col. (MZSP)., Published as part of Azevedo, Celso O. & Colombo, Wesley D., 2022, Synopsis of the Neotropical Sclerodermus Latreille (Hymenoptera, Bethylidae) with description of a new species attacking human beings, pp. 501-519 in Zootaxa 5124 (5) on page 508, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5124.5.1, http://zenodo.org/record/6416940, {"references":["Evans, H. E. (1968) The genus Scleroderma in South America (Hymenoptera, Bethylidae). Papeis Avulsos de Zoologia, 22, 103 - 106."]}

Sclerodermus iridomyrmicicola Bruch, 1917 Fig. 1C Diagnosis, female. Body 2.73 mm long. Head and mesosoma castaneous, metasoma dark castaneous. Mandible with two small apical teeth, and one on upper margin. Clypeus with short, rectangular median lobe, apical margin curved upward medially in frontal view, median carina complete. Pedicel longer than flagellomeres, flagellomeres wider than long, except last. Distance between toruli less than their own diameters. Eye with few setae. Frons weakly coriaceous, with very sparse small punctures, with weak and short anterior median line. LH 1.1 WH, WF 0.52 WH, WF 1.63 HE. Vertex outcurved. Sides of head mostly straight, subparallel, weakly converging anterad. VOL 2.0 HE. Mesoscutum 1.36 as wide as long. Metapectal-propodeal disc trapezoidal, side diverging posteriorly, median, lateral and posterior transverse carinae absent. Propodeal spiracle round placed at lateral of metapectal-propodeal complex. Tegula very small as scale. Micropterous, wing slightly longer than tegula, veins absent. Profemur 2.1 as long as wide. Metasomal sternites IV–VI with bi-emarginated apical margins. Material examined. Holotype ♀, [ARGENTINA, Martín García, Rio de la Plata, ex. nest of Iridomyrmex humilis Mayr, 9.XII.1915, C. Bruch col.] (MLPA, # 2065). Remark. This specimen has no data label., Published as part of Azevedo, Celso O. & Colombo, Wesley D., 2022, Synopsis of the Neotropical Sclerodermus Latreille (Hymenoptera, Bethylidae) with description of a new species attacking human beings, pp. 501-519 in Zootaxa 5124 (5) on page 506, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5124.5.1, http://zenodo.org/record/6416940

Sclerodermus soror Westwood, 1881 Fig. 1F Diagnosis, female. Body 2.0 mm long. Light castaneous. Antenna thick, pedicel long, flagellomeres wider than long, except last. Eye glabrous. Ocelli absent. Frons weakly coriaceous, punctures very sparse and inconspicuous. LH 1.35 WH, WF 0.52 WH, WF 1.56 HE. Vertex apparently straight. Sides of head parallel, slightly outcurved. VOL 2.4 HE. Mesoscutum 1.32 as wide as long. Metapectal-propodeal disc nearly quadrate, side subparallel, base only slightly constricted, without metapostnotal median carina and posterior transverse carina. Apterous. Profemur 2.2 as long as wide. Material examined. Holotype ♀, MEXICO, D. Coffin col. (OXUM). Remarks. This specimen is in fragile condition and mounted on a card, so we did not analyze posterior margin of the sterna., Published as part of Azevedo, Celso O. & Colombo, Wesley D., 2022, Synopsis of the Neotropical Sclerodermus Latreille (Hymenoptera, Bethylidae) with description of a new species attacking human beings, pp. 501-519 in Zootaxa 5124 (5) on page 508, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5124.5.1, http://zenodo.org/record/6416940

We develop a game-theoretic model to explore the question of whether two animals should cooperate in the dangerous activity of obtaining a rich and essential resource. We consider variation in the risks incurred to individuals and in how the activities of the two animals interact to influence the probability of success. We also consider that the animals may be relatives and thus share evolutionary interests. The model is general and can, for instance, be applied to mammalian predators attempting to capture and subdue large and dangerous prey or to female parasitoid wasps that attack and, if successful, paralyse aggressive hosts that then provide the only feeding resource for their offspring. This minimal model of cooperation contains three dimensionless parameters: vulnerability (the ratio between the average time for a lone attacker to subdue the defending resource and the average time for the defender to fatally strike the attacker), the dilution ratio (the extent to which attack by animals acting in tandem reduces a defender's ability to kill its attackers) and the relatedness between the potential attackers. The model predicts that higher values of all three parameters favour cooperation and that for small values cooperation is not evolutionarily stable. Cooperation can arise from an ancestral state of non-cooperation if values of all parameters are sufficiently high but cannot arise among non-relatives, irrespective of other parameter values. Once cooperation has emerged in a population, it can be maintained among nonrelatives at modest values of dilution ratio and vulnerability. We discuss these general predictions in particular relation to the parasitoid genus Sclerodermus, in which multiple females may attack unusually large and aggressive hosts and in which host attack behaviour is mediated by kinship. (c) 2021 The Association for the Study of Animal Behaviour. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

3.449 Genus Sclerodermus Latreille, 1809 Sclerodermus Latreille, 1809: 4. Type species: Sclerodermus domesticus Klug, 1809., Published as part of Guo, Mingxia, Xing, Lida, Wang, Bo, Zhang, Weiwei, Wang, Shuo, Shi, Aimin & Bai, Ming, 2017, A catalogue of Burmite inclusions, pp. 249-379 in Zoological Systematics 42 (3) on page 348, DOI: 10.11865/zs.201715, http://zenodo.org/record/5360313, {"references":["Latreille, P. A. 1809. Genera Crustaceorum et Insectorum Secundum Ordinem naturalem in Familias disposita, iconibus exemplisque plurimis explicate. Vol. 4. A. Koening, Paris. 399 pp."]}

Resumen: Se describe un brote de dermatitis producido por la picadura de una pequeña avispa áptera Sclerodermus sp. (Hymenoptera, Bethylidae), en un grupo de estudiantes de un colegio de San José, capital de Costa Rica. Se encontró también al escarabajo xilófago Calymmaderus pupatus (Coleoptera, Ptinidae), que sirve de huésped a la avispita, la cual necesita depositar sus huevos, como parasitoide, en las larvas del coleóptero para su reproducción. Casos autóctonos de esta dermatitis se conocen en los cinco continentes y esto contrasta con la ausencia de reportes procedentes de América Central. Los lugares en donde se observaron las lesiones, a veces numerosas en la misma persona, fueron: brazos, cuello, piernas, espalda, abdomen, pecho, cara y codos. El tipo de lesión se caracteriza por dolor y ardor en el momento de la picadura, seguido de una pápula eritematosa de tamaño variable, hasta un centímetro de diámetro e intenso prurito, con una duración de una a dos semanas. Se observaron cuadros urticariformes y angioedematosos e inclusive infecciones secundarias como consecuencia del rascado. El problema se atacó con una fumigación dirigida al coleóptero, con un insecticida capaz de penetrar la madera llena de galerías del escarabajo y sus larvas. Pocos días después de la fumigación, se encontraron numerosos ptínidos adultos muertos, así como gran cantidad de betílidos, en los muebles dañados por el escarabajo. Abstract: This article describes an outbreak of dermatitis caused by stings from a small apterous wasp, Sclerodermus sp. (Hymenoptera: Bethylidae), among a group of students attending a school in San José, of Costa Rica. Also present was the xylophagous beetle, Calymmaderus pupatus (Coleoptera: Ptinidae), which serves as a host for this parasitic wasp and on which the wasp depends for its reproduction. The female wasps lay their eggs on the beetle larvae in the wood and the wasp larvae develop as parasitoids. Autochthonous cases of dermatitis caused by bethylid wasps are known from all other five continents but, as far as we are aware, this is the first report from Latin America, and the first report of Sclerodermus from Central America. The sites in which the lesions were located, sometimes numerous in the same person, were: arms, neck, legs, back, abdomen, breast, face and elbows. The type of lesionwas characterized by being painful, with a burning sensation, at the moment of the sting, followed by an erythematous papule lesion of variable size, up to one centimeter in diameter and with intense pruritus, lasting from one to two weeks. Urticariform lesions and angioedema were observed, as well as secondary infections consequence of the scratching of the lesions. The problem was solved by a fumigation directed against the coleoptera beetle, with an insecticide capable of penetrating the wood that was filled with tunnels made by the adult beetles and larvae. A few days after the fumigation numerous dead beetles and bethylid wasps were found in the furniture damaged by the beetles.

In the last years, stings of Sclerodermus species in humans have been sporadically reported in Italy. In order to draw attention to these bethylid wasps of medical importance, we report the case of documentedSclerodermus sp. stings on the dorsum, abdomen, arms, and thighs of a 40-year-old man and his wife. The sting sites developed raised red itchy rash. The source of environmental contamination was identified in a worm-eaten sofa purchased from a used furniture dealer and placed in the living room about a month and half earlier. The lesions on the man and his wife rapidly healed within 3 to 4 days once they left the house and treatment for the lesions was instituted. Physicians, dermatologists, medical and public health entomologists, as well as specific categories of workers should be aware of the risk of exposure to Sclerodermus stings.

Sclerodermus hova de SAUSSURE 1892 Scleroderma hova n.sp.: de SAUSSURE 1892: pl. 25 (figs 19, 19b, 19e, 19i, 19l-n, 19u (), Madagascar). Scleroderma hova de SAUSSURE 1892: SCHULZ 1906: 103 (tax.). Pristocera hova (de SAUSSURE 1892): SCHULZ 1912: 77 (tax.), 78 (tax., descr., Madagascar). Sclerodermus hova de SAUSSURE 1892: KIEFFER 1914: 266 (tax., Madagascar). Sclerodermus hova de SAUSSURE, 1890: GORDH 1990: 161 (cat.). Sclerodermus hova de SAUSSURE 1892: LANES & AZEVEDO 2008: 82 (cat.). D i s t r i b u t i o n: Madagascar: Prov. Antananarivo: Imerina. Endemic., Published as part of C. O, Madl, M. & Olmi, M., 2010, A Catalogue of the Bethylidae, Chrysididae, Dryinidae, Embolemidae, Sclerogibbidae and Scolebythidae (Hymenoptera: Chrysidoidea) of the Malagasy Subregion, pp. 845-918 in Linzer biologische Beiträge 42 (2) on pages 850-851, DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.5335096, {"references":["SAUSSURE H. de (1890): Histoire Naturelle des Hymenopteres. - In: GRANDIDIER A. (ed.), Histoire physique, naturelle et politique de Madagascar Volume XX: X-XXI, 1 - 176, pls 1 - 20."]}

In the last years, stings of Sclerodermus species in humans have been sporadically reported in Italy. In order to draw attention to these bethylid wasps of medical importance, we report the case of documented Sclerodermus sp. stings on the dorsum, abdomen, arms, and thighs of a 40-year-old man and his wife. The sting sites developed raised red itchy rash. The source of environmental contamination was identified in a worm-eaten sofa purchased from a used furniture dealer and placed in the living room about a month and half earlier. The lesions on the man and his wife rapidly healed within 3 to 4 days once they left the house and treatment for the lesions was instituted. Physicians, dermatologists, medical and public health entomologists, as well as specific categories of workers should be aware of the risk of exposure to Sclerodermus stings.