It's time for Africa - hidden diversity of the species group (Hymenoptera, Braconidae, Aphidiinae) south of the Sahara.

is an important biological control agent, used in greenhouses and open fields against aphid pests. Despite this economical importance, , along with and , has gone through a complex taxonomical history. The three species have only recently gained status as separate species again, comprising the morphologically defined species group.

Key for identification of the parasitoids (Hymenoptera: Braconidae: Aphidiinae) of aphids infesting alfalfa in Europe.

Although Aphidiinae parasitoids have been used as agents for biocontrol of alfalfa aphids for more than half a century and have been the subject of numerous ecological investigations, there is an evident lack of systematic studies on the parasitoids of aphids infesting alfalfa in Europe. Here we present an original and up-dated key for identification of both native and invasive Aphidiinae parasitoids attacking aphids that feed on alfalfa in Europe. In total, 20 species are keyed and illustrated with scanning electron micrographs and line drawings.

Genetic and morphological variation in sexual and asexual parasitoids of the genus Lysiphlebus - an apparent link between wing shape and reproductive mode.

Background: Morphological divergence often increases with phylogenetic distance, thus making morphology taxonomically informative. However, transitions to asexual reproduction may complicate this relationship because asexual lineages capture and freeze parts of the phenotypic variation of the sexual populations from which they derive. Parasitoid wasps belonging to the genus Lysiphlebus Foerster (Hymenoptera: Braconidae: Aphidiinae) are composed of over 20 species that exploit over a hundred species of aphid hosts, including many important agricultural pests.