Search

Insects, the most diverse group of animals, are known to benefit society for a sustainable future. By focusing on the use of natural enemies of pests, including parasitoids and predators, the need for biological pest control for the conservation of agricultural crops has been emphasized. Parasites are organisms that live in the body of another organism and feed on it without killing it, while predators hunt, kill and eat their prey. Parasitoids, on the other hand, live in or on another organism and feed on it, ultimately killing the host. Our study highlights the use of parasitoids to control pests in agriculture and describes the parasitoid lifestyle as an evolutionary transition between parasitism and predation. It also notes that parasitoid larvae typically require only one host to complete their development and can be used to control a wide range of pests. The aim of this study was to determine the origin of the parasitic life form of order Hymenpotera, the mechanisms revealed by the parasitic life form, the importance of life strategies, the types of parasitism and to evaluate the important insect groups belonging to the order Hymenoptera used in biological control.

To our knowledge, Philolema latrodecti (Fullaway, 1953) (Hymenoptera: Eurytomidae) is recorded for the first time in Mexico parasitizing an egg sac of the widow spider Latrodectus mactans (Fabricius, 1775) (Araneae: Theridiidae). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ecuador has reported as main insect pests in lemon: Phyllocnistis citrella Stainton (Lepidoptera: Gracillariidae), Aleurothrixus floccosus Maskel (Hemiptera: Aleyrodidae), Toxoptera aurantii Boyer de Fonscolombe (Homoptera: Aphididae); natural enemies of these pests, is presented as an alternative for biological control. The objective was to assess the population dynamics of the main lemon pests and their parasitoids in the towns of Colón and Riochico, province of Manabí, Ecuador. The collected samples were analyzed with the R software V3.4.2. Bivariate analyzes were carried out comparing the population of pests and their parasitoids by localities, the assumption of normality was verified with Kolmogorov-Smirnov tests for the total number of individuals of pest populations and the percentage of parasitoids, the independent samples t-test was used and Pearson's correlation analysis was performed for the populations of pests and their parasitoids. Five species of parasitoids were identified in two localities: Encarsia nigricephala (Hymenoptera: Aphelinidae) and Eretmocerus sp. (Hymenoptera: Aphelinidae) corresponded to A. floccosus; Aphidius sp. (Hymenoptera: Braconidae) with Diaretus sp. (Hymenoptera: Braconidae) were found in T. aurantii; and A. citrícola Logvinovskaya (Hymenoptera: Encyrtidae) for P. citrella. There was no correlation between P. citrella and A. citricola in the localities evaluated. For the jurisdiction of Riochico, a significant correlation of -0.706 was reached between A. floccosus and E. nigricephala In the town of Colón, a significant direct correlation of 0.672 was observed between the parasitoids E. nigricephala and Eretmocerus sp. In addition, a significant correlation was obtained between the population of T. aurantii and the parasitoid Diaretus sp., whose value was - 0.624 for the town of Riochico. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Survey and population densities of aphidophagous syrphid predators and their insect hyperparasitoids on maize plants infesting with aphids namely, Rhopalosiphum maidis (Fitch) and Rhopalosiphum padi (Linnaeus) at El-Deeb village, Abou-Kbeer district, Sharkia Governorate, Egypt were studied during 2022 and 2023 seasons. The obtained results were summarized as follow: six species of aphidophagous syrphid belonging to family Syrphidae namely, Xanthogramma aegyptium Wied., Sphaerophoria flavicauda Zett., Paragus aegyptius Macq., Paragus spp., Metasyrphus (=Syrphus) corollae (Fabr.) and Scaeva albomaculata Macq were surveyed on maize plants infesting with aphids. The total relative densities of the syrphid species were 34.17, 23.92, 18.54, 10.36, 7.22 and 5.79 % of the total number of hoverfly, successively. The total numbers of aphidophagous syrphid predators were fluctuated, showing a distinct peaks of 343 and 371 predators/sample in the 2nd and 3rd weeks of August during the first and second seasons, consecutively. The highest total monthly counts of 1016 and 1299 predators recorded in August during two successive seasons 2022 and 2023, consecutively. The means of syrphids : prey ratio were 1 : 28.76 and 1 : 22.59 during two successive seasons. Five species of hyperparasitoids belong to four families were recorded parasitized on syrphid species namely, Telenomus acrobats Giard, Telenomus sp. (Scelionidae), Diplazon laetatorius (Fabricius) (Ichneumonidae), Syrphophagus aphidivorus (Mayr) (Encyrtidae) and Tetrastichus sp. (Eulophidae), represented 25.43, 16.38, 25.43, 19.62 and 13.14% of the total collected hyperparasitoids, successively. The fluctuations of the total parasitoidism percentages recorded one and two peaks of activity during the first and second seasons, respectively. The mean percentages of parasitoidism during the second season was relatively low, 17.65 % in comparison with that in the first one (21.67%). The correlations between the total numbers of aphidophagous syrphid species and percentages of parasitodism were positive significant during two successive seasons. The periodic mean temperature and relative humidity affected syrphid species population by 55.27 and 62.57% during the 1st and 2nd seasons, respectively. Temperature and relative humidity affected percentages of parasitodism by 51.19 and 47.34 during the 1st and 2nd seasons, consecutively. Generally, the pesticides are not the only ones that affect on aphidophagous syrphid predators but the hyperparasitoids decrease the total numbers of the predators and negatively or harmfully affect their role in the biological control of aphid species in open felids and greenhouses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hymenoptera is the fourth-most diverse insect order today, including wasps, bees, bumblebees, and ants. They show a wide panoply of modes of life, such as herbivory, predation, parasitoidism, pollination, and eusociality. This group also includes a great number of extinct species from both amber and compression outcrops. Hymenopterans probably originated in the Paleozoic, although their oldest record is from the Middle or Late Triassic, and their diversity expanded since the Cretaceous. Here, we present a review of the Hymenoptera in Lower Cretaceous ambers from Lebanon (Barremian) and Spain (Albian), which is pivotal for the study of hymenopteran evolution. Hymenoptera in Lebanese ambers are represented by 32 species in 22 genera within 15 families, while in Spanish ambers, they correspond to 49 species in 40 genera within 18 families. Most of these species belong to the 'Parasitica', and only a few species have been assigned to the Aculeata. The group 'Symphyta' is represented by one species in Spanish amber. The paleobiogeography and possible paleobiologies of the species in these ambers are reviewed. Furthermore, checklists for all Hymenoptera species in Lebanese and Spanish ambers are provided. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

ABSTRACT The rice stink bug, Tibraca limbativentris Stål (Hemiptera: Pentatomidae), is a significant pest of rice cultivation in Brazil and attacks plants during both vegetative and reproductive phases. Natural enemy surveys conducted in plantations located in Arari, Miranda do Norte, Matões do Norte, Santa Rita, and Viana (state of Maranhão, Brazil) led to the discovery of a new species of parasitoid, which is described in this study. Hexacladia lemosae Costa, Noyes & Machado sp. nov. (Hymenoptera: Encyrtidae) is the first species of its genus associated with T. limbativentris and develops as a gregarious endoparasitoid in adult stink bugs, occasionally in nymphs. The parasitoid emerges from the host while host is still alive.

Copyright of Revista Chapingo Serie Ciencias Forestales is the property of Universidad Autonoma Chapingo and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of SHILAP Revista de Lepidopterologia is the property of Sociedad Hispano-Luso-Americana de Lepidopterologia and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Naupactus cervinus is a weevil pest native to South America and distributed worldwide, with all populations infected with the endosymbiont Wolbachia pipientis. The study of this weevil's natural parasitoids may help develop biological control strategies. We studied two parasitoids from adult females of N. cervinus in Argentina. DNA was extracted and the mtCOI gene was amplified and sequenced. We performed BLAST and family-level phylogenetic analyses by retrieving sequences of related genera from GenBank and BOLD databases. We compared COI genetic distances between our samples and putative congeneric species by pairwise comparisons to test if our identification at genus level was compatible in terms of genetic variability. BLAST analysis indicated that one of the parasitoids shared 88–92% sequence identity with several Tachinidae (order Diptera) and belonged to the genus Oestrophasia. This is the first report of a dipteran parasitoid for N. cervinus. The other parasitoid shared 82–88% sequence identity with several Braconidae (order Hymenoptera) and fell within the genus Microctonus with high nodal support. Genetic distance analyses revealed that both genera showed high-unidentified diversity, particularly among Microctonus species from Argentina, and that N. cervinus is parasitoidised by different species of Microctonus. Wolbachia infection was diagnosed through PCR and characterised by MLST genotyping. The microhymenopteran and N. cervinus most probably shared the wNau5 strain, which brought forward the question of parasitoids as vehicles for horizontal transfer. Further analyses on characterisation and geographic distribution of the infection at the population and community levels may shed light on a shared evolutionary history. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The family Lycaenidae (Lepidoptera) comprises over 6,000 described and widely distributed species. However, studies on interactions with other insects such as ants, parasitoids, and with food plants in the Neotropical region, are still scarce, even though such information are fundamental for better understanding the natural history of this taxonomic group. This study reports a new food plant to larvae of Lycaenidae species in the neotropics, as well as its parasitoid. A Lycaenidae larva was found and collected for immature stage observation under laboratory conditions. The larva fed on petals and seeds of Zornia latifolia Sm. (Fabaceae). Nineteen days after pupation in laboratory a larvipupal parasitoid of the genus Conura (Chalcididae) had egressed. This is the first report of tritrophic relationship amongst Z. latifolia, a Lycaenidae larva and its larvipupal parasitoid of the genus Conura in a periurban area near remnants of the Atlantic Forest, in Northeastern Brazil.

The various associations between nematodes and gastropods, which range from random transportation to endophoresis, necromeny, larval parasitism and an entire parasitic or parasitoidic life-style with and without intermediate or paratenic hosts, are discussed in an evolutionary context. Ten to eleven lineages have accomplished the transition to a life at the expense of gastropods, three via a detour of parasitism in vertebrates (Metastrongyloidea, Nemhelix and within Cosmocercoides). In the lineage to Agfa the sequence endophoretic, necromenic, parasitic in the intestine to parasitic in salivary glands of gastropods is reconstructed.

In livestock farms, flies are one of the main health problems, due to the diseases they transmit and the stress they cause on animals, with the consequent economic losses. In order to obtain information on the species of flies present and associated pupal parasitoids in a system of milk production of cattle from a locality of Aragua state, pupae of flies were collected in the manures found in the paddocks, and In the piles that are made when cleaning the milking rooms, The same ones were put in breeding in the insect of the Institute of Agricultural Zoology of FAGRO-UCV, in Maracay, Aragua state. The emerged adults were preserved in vials with 70% alcohol until their assembly and identification. The flies that emerged from the pastures were determined as Themira sp., (Sepsidae), Fannia sp., (Muscidae), and Musca sp., (Muscidae), manure stacks such as Musca domestica (Muscidae), Leptocera sp., (Sphaeroceridae) and Physiphora sp., (Ulidiidae). Among the parasitoids that emerged from the pupae of flies were Spalangia imitator and Spalangia cameroni (Pteromalidae), Trichopria sp., (Diapriidae) and Kleidotoma sp., (Figitidae). The degree of parasitoidism was quite low (

Summary Hymenoptera (sawflies, wasps, ants, and bees) are one of four mega-diverse insect orders, comprising more than 153,000 described and possibly up to one million undescribed extant species [ 1, 2 ]. As parasitoids, predators, and pollinators, Hymenoptera play a fundamental role in virtually all terrestrial ecosystems and are of substantial economic importance [ 1, 3 ]. To understand the diversification and key evolutionary transitions of Hymenoptera, most notably from phytophagy to parasitoidism and predation (and vice versa) and from solitary to eusocial life, we inferred the phylogeny and divergence times of all major lineages of Hymenoptera by analyzing 3,256 protein-coding genes in 173 insect species. Our analyses suggest that extant Hymenoptera started to diversify around 281 million years ago (mya). The primarily ectophytophagous sawflies are found to be monophyletic. The species-rich lineages of parasitoid wasps constitute a monophyletic group as well. The little-known, species-poor Trigonaloidea are identified as the sister group of the stinging wasps (Aculeata). Finally, we located the evolutionary root of bees within the apoid wasp family “Crabronidae.” Our results reveal that the extant sawfly diversity is largely the result of a previously unrecognized major radiation of phytophagous Hymenoptera that did not lead to wood-dwelling and parasitoidism. They also confirm that all primarily parasitoid wasps are descendants of a single endophytic parasitoid ancestor that lived around 247 mya. Our findings provide the basis for a natural classification of Hymenoptera and allow for future comparative analyses of Hymenoptera, including their genomes, morphology, venoms, and parasitoid and eusocial life styles. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Environmental heterogeneity is a major factor influencing the spatial distribution of organisms. Due to intimate relationships with their hosts, parasitic insects are inclined to be even more sensitive to variations. This study aimed to verify the relationship between spatial distribution of Mutillidae, potential hosts, and the effect of heterogeneity in the distribution of both, testing the hypotheses: i) the spatial distribution of mutillids depends on the distribution of hosts and ii) variation in environmental heterogeneity affects the distribution of both. Sampling was conducted in four fragments of the Cerrado. We collected Hymenopteran specimens from 25 plots of one hectare using 18 Malaise traps throughout one year, totalizing 32,400 trap-hours. Female Mutillidae were hand collected at all sampling points, for a total of 450 man-hours. At each hectare plot, we obtained the environmental variables from nine plots of 25 m². A total of 1,089 individuals were collected (Apidae: 311; Crabronidae: 165; Shpecidae: 84; Vespidae: 229) belonging to 127 species of potential hosts (bees and wasps) and 300 individuals (42 species) of Mutillidae. Leaf-litter depths showed significant relation in host-parasitoid distribution. The spatiotemporal distribution followed the predator-prey model for Mutillidae, and environmental heterogeneity was a factor that determined the structure of the host-parasitoid community. The results suggest an intense relationship between the Mutillidae and Crabronidae, as well as Sphecidae and two Apidae subfamilies (Halictinae and Colletinae). These families and subfamilies present behavior in which they build nests in aggregations even each female being solitary. Crabronidae is considered the best potential host for Mutillidae. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Females of the parasitoid wasp Dinocampus coccinellae are known to parasitise both male and female coccinellid hosts. It is suggested that female hosts provide more resources for developing wasp larvae because they tend to be larger than male hosts, and female coccinellids have a much greater food intake than males. Thus the wasp's lifetime reproductive success should be increased by ovipositing preferentially in female rather than male hosts when given a choice. Laboratory experiments, using Coccinella septempunctata as a host, show that such a preference does exist. Wasps preferentially oviposit in females, and this preference is not simply a result of the larger mean size of females compared to males. These results corroborate higher rates of prevalence in female compared to male hosts reported previously.

A second Mesozoic twisted-wing parasite (Strepsiptera) is described and figured based on an exceptionally well-preserved male in mid-Cretaceous (Cenomanian) amber from northern Myanmar. Phthanoxenos nervosus Engel and Huang, gen. et sp. nov., is distinguished from other strepsipteran lineages, particularly the contemporaneous Cretostylops engeli Grimaldi and Kathirithamby, also in Burmese amber, and Protoxenos janzeni Pohl et al. in mid-Eocene Baltic amber, and assigned to a new family, Phthanoxenidae Engel and Huang, fam. nov. Phthanoxenos exhibit features indicative of a more primitive phylogenetic position than Cretostylopidae but still more derived than Protoxenidae. Brief remarks are made on the geological history of the Strepsiptera. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Within Metazoa, it has been proposed that as many as two-thirds of all species are parasitic. This propensity towards parasitism is also reflected within insects, where several lineages independently evolved a parasitic lifestyle. Parasitic behaviour ranges from parasitic habits in the strict sense, but also includes parasitoid, phoretic or kleptoparasitic behaviour. Numerous insects are also the host for other parasitic insects or metazoans. Insects can also serve as vectors for numerous metazoan, protistan, bacterial and viral diseases. The fossil record can report this behaviour with direct (parasite associated with its host) or indirect evidence (insect with parasitic larva, isolated parasitic insect, pathological changes of host). The high abundance of parasitism in the fossil record of insects can reveal important aspects of parasitic lifestyles in various evolutionary lineages. For a comprehensive view on fossil parasitic insects, we discuss here different aspects, including phylogenetic systematics, functional morphology and a direct comparison of fossil and extant species. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Parasitoidism refers to a major form of interspecies interactions where parasitoids sterilize and/or kill their hosts typically before hosts reach reproductive age. However, relatively little is known about the evolutionary dynamics of parasitoidism. Here, we investigate the spatial patterns of genetic variation of Chinese cordyceps, including both the parasitoidal fungus Ophiocordyceps sinensis and its host insects. We sampled broadly from alpine regions on the Tibetan Plateau and obtained sequences on seven fungal and three insect DNA fragments from each of the 125 samples. Seven and five divergent lineages/cryptic species were identified within the fungus and host insects, respectively. Our analyses suggested that O. sinensis and host insects originated at similar geographic regions in southern Tibet/Yunnan, followed by range expansion to their current distributions. Cophylogenetic analyses revealed a complex evolutionary relationship between O. sinensis and its host insects. Significant congruence was found between host and parasite phylogenies and the time estimates of divergence were similar, raising the possibility of the occurrence of cospeciation events, but the incongruences suggested that host shifts were also prevalent. Interestingly, one fungal genotype was broadly distributed, consistent with recent gene flow. In contrast, the high-frequency insect genotypes showed limited geographic distributions. The dominant genotypes from both the fungus and the insect hosts may represent ideal materials from which to develop artificial cultivation of this important Chinese traditional medicine. Our results demonstrate that both historical and contemporary events have played important roles in the phylogeography and evolution of the O. sinensis-ghost moth parasitoidism on the Tibetan Plateau. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • An almost fully resolved, robust phylogeny was obtained for the family Braconidae. • Trachypetinae and Masoninae are restored within Braconidae. • The enigmatic Apozyginae is sister to the remaining braconid subfamilies. • A strong koinobiont/endoparasitoid and idiobiont/ectoparasitoid correlation was recovered. • The ancestor of the braconoid complex was inferred to be a koinobiont endoparasitoid. The parasitoid lifestyle is largely regarded as a key innovation that contributed to the evolutionary success and extreme species richness of the order Hymenoptera. Understanding the phylogenetic history of hyperdiverse parasitoid groups is a fundamental step in elucidating the evolution of biological traits linked to parasitoidism. We used a genomic-scale dataset based on ultra-conserved elements and the most comprehensive taxon sampling to date to estimate the evolutionary relationships of Braconidae, the second largest family of Hymenoptera. Based on our results, we propose Braconidae to comprise 41 extant subfamilies, confirmed a number of subfamilial placements and proposed subfamily-level taxonomic changes, notably the restoration of Trachypetinae stat. rev. and Masoninae stat. rev. as subfamilies of Braconidae, confirmation that Apozyx penyai Mason belongs in Braconidae placed in the subfamily Apozyginae and the recognition of Ichneutinae sensu stricto and Proteropinae as non-cyclostome subfamilies robustly supported in a phylogenetic context. The correlation between koinobiosis with endoparasitoidism and idiobiosis with ectoparasitoidism, long thought to be an important aspect in parasitoid life history, was formally tested and confirmed in a phylogenetic framework. Using ancestral reconstruction methods based on both parsimony and maximum likelihood, we suggest that the ancestor of the braconoid complex was a koinobiont endoparasitoid, as was that of the cyclostome sensu lato clade. Our results also provide strong evidence for one transition from endo- to ectoparasitoidism and three reversals back to endoparasitoidism within the cyclostome sensu stricto lineage. Transitions of koino- and idiobiosis were identical to those inferred for endo- versus ectoparasitoidism, except with one additional reversal back to koinobiosis in the small subfamily Rhysipolinae. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The augmentative biological control of Diatraea saccharlis Fabricius (Lepidoptera: Crambidae) requires the mass rearing of the parasitoid Cotesia flavipes Cameron (Braconidae: Microgastrinae), and for this, it's necessary the development of efficient artificial diets. The goal was to examine the effects of different diet types on biological parameters of D. saccharalis and their impact on coccon production of C. flavipes. 46136 eggs of D. saccharalis were sow on eleven combinations of artificial diets, with two types of flours and three types of antibiotics. The results showed that the diet composition affected biological parameters of both species. The larger efficiency in the rearing was obtained with the use of combinations of bean flour and ampicillin. However, if we consider the relationship between production costs and biological parameters, the diet with bean flour, oxytetracycline and streptomycin was the most adequate for mass rearing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Food webs in agricultural systems are complex and trophic linkages are difficult to track using conventional methodologies. Here, we review three alternative approaches that allow empirical assessment of feeding interactions: DNA-based techniques, and stable isotope and fatty acid analyses. DNA-based methods, namely multiplex PCR and next-generation sequencing, allow identification of food types and host–parasitoid linkages, resulting in taxonomically highly resolved feeding networks. Stable isotopes and fatty acids reflect the assimilation of broader categories of resources, as metabolised into the consumers’ tissue, together with the associated energy and nutrient fluxes in the food web. We discuss the strengths of the approaches but also highlight their limitations, providing practical advice on which technique is best suited to answer specific questions in examining food web interactions in agroecosystems. Future refinements of these techniques, especially when used in combination, could herald a new era in agricultural food web ecology, enabling management and environmental impact to be placed in the mechanistic context of trophic networks. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Latania scale, Hemiberlesia lataniae (Signoret), has become a major pest of avocado (Persea americana Mill.) in Chile and has reached high populations in the fruit because of limited natural control. The objective of this study was to identify the biological parameters of the parasitoid Aphytis diaspidis (Howard) as a control agent of latania scale. Postembryonic development, parasitoidism rate, and life table parameters of the parasitoid and scale were determined under laboratory conditions. Aphytis diaspidis postembryonic development and parasitoidism rate varied significantly when evaluated on distinct latania scale stages with the highest survival (56%) occurring at the third scale stage, it also had the shortest development time between egg and adult (19.14 d) and the highest parasitoidism rate (66%). The intrinsic growth rate (rm) was higher for A. diaspidis (rm = 0.099) than latania scale (rm = 0.068). These laboratory results demonstrated that A. diaspidis is an effective parasitoid for decreasing H. lataniae populations, especially in the third stage. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pyrrolizidine alkaloids (PAs), mainly those with a 1,2-double bond in the necine base moiety (=1,2-dehydropyrrolizidines), constitute a class of well studied compounds with respect to their flux through different trophic levels. Plants belonging to various clades (e.g. Echiteae, Eupatorieae and Senecioneae, Boraginaceae, and Crotalarieae) biosynthesize PAs as N-oxides, generally in the roots, and transport them through the phloem to stems, leaves, and reproductive structures, where they act as potent deterrents against non-specialist herbivores. On the other hand, PA specialist herbivores (mainly arctiid moths, danaine and ithomiine butterflies, and some leaf beetles) have become able to overcome this chemical barrier, and to sequester these alkaloids from their larval host plants or from sources visited by adults, such as flowers and dead or withered plants. Specialists use PAs for their own benefit as chemical defence against a vast array of predators (e.g. ants, lacewings, spiders, lizards, birds, and mammals), but some predators are able to feed on PA-insects, by avoiding or physiologically overcoming PAs present in tissues of the ingested prey. Parasitoids may be affected by PAs, depending on their degree of specialization in relation to PA-insects. Arctiidae, Danainae and Ithomiinae also use PAs as precursors of sexual pheromones. The effects of PAs on trophic interactions have been intensely studied over the last four decades, but some open questions remain, and are discussed, such as the underlying mechanisms that lead to PA diversification, activity of different PA structures, synergism among PAs and other so-called defensive substances in PA-plants, and the ability to overcome this chemical barrier by predators and parasitoids. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Cretaceous family Spathiopterygidae (Hymenoptera: Diaprioidea), containing five species in four genera, showed a wide distribution from the upper Barremian to the Turonian. We describe two new representatives of the family from the upper Albian San Just outcrop in the eastern Iberian Peninsula that correspond to Diameneura marveni gen. et sp. nov. Santer and Álvarez-Parra and to a female member of Mymaropsis turolensis Engel and Ortega-Blanco, 2013. The forewing venation of Diameneura marveni gen. et sp. nov. is interpreted, allowing an appropriate comparison for future descriptions. Furthermore, we provide a diagnosis for Mymaropsis baabdaensis since no diagnosis was proposed in the initial paper. We indicate the taphonomic characteristics of the newly described specimens, discuss the interrelationships of the family, and provide new insights about the sexual dimorphism and palaeobiology of spathiopterygids. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Brazilian Journal of Biology is the property of Instituto Internacional de Ecologia and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Abstract: Parasitoid virulence and host resistance are complex interactions depending on metabolic rate and cellular activity, which in aphids additionally implicate heritable secondary symbionts among the Enterobacteriaceae. As performance of the parasitoid, the aphid host and its symbionts may differentially respond to temperature, the success or failure of aphid parasitism is difficult to predict when temperature varies. We tested the hypothesis that resistance of the pea aphid Acyrthosiphon pisum to the parasitoid Aphidius ervi, which is linked to aphid secondary symbionts, may depend on temperature in several resistant and non-resistant aphid clonal lineages of different geographic origin and of known bacterial symbiosis, using experiments in controlled environments. Complete immunity to A. ervi at 20°C in three different aphid clones whose symbiosis is characterized by the possession of Hamiltonella defensa reversed to high susceptibility at 25°C and especially 30°C, suggesting that the aphid''s immune responses to the establishment and early development of the parasitoid is strongly reduced at moderately high temperatures. There was no evidence that a pea aphid control genotype that was susceptible to A. ervi at 20°C could become more resistant as temperature increases, as has been suggested for insect fungal pathogens. By contrast, our results suggest that aphid clonal resistance to A. ervi and related parasitoids is characteristic of cool temperature conditions, similar to various other fitness attributes of aphids. Based on evidence that H. defensa symbionts characterized all three A. ervi resistant pea aphid clones studied, but was absent in control aphids that remained susceptible at all temperatures, we suggest that secondary symbiosis plays a key role in the heat sensitivity of aphid clonal resistance. Our study may also indicate that aphid natural control of variably susceptible host populations by aphid parasitoids is more likely at moderate to high temperatures. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Copyright of Biota Neotropica is the property of Biota Neotropica and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Philornis Meinert larvae are known as parasites of birds, with coprophagous, semi-hematophagous or hematophagous habits. Biological data of the larvae of the fifty described species are still scarcely known. Here we describe some aspects of the parasitism of a species of Philornis on Thalurania glaucopis Gmelin (Trochilidae) and record two species of Chalcididae (Hymenoptera) parasitoids, Conura annulifera (Walker, 1864) and Brachymeria podagrica (Fabricius, 1787), reared from Philornis puparia.