Uncovering Norway: Descriptions of Four New Aphidiinae Species (Hymenoptera, Braconidae) with Identification Key and Notes on Phylogenetic Relationships of the Subgenus Chen.

With only 33 reported species, Norway ranks among the European countries with the lowest documented diversity of parasitoids from the subfamily Aphidiinae. The "MUST Malaise" project, carried out by Museum Stavanger in Norway, aimed to assess insect abundance and biodiversity and create a reference base for future studies. The preliminary results of our study revealed four species new to science, indicating that the current number of recorded species in Norway is significantly lower than the actual diversity.

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.

Four New Species of Pseudephedrus (Hymenoptera, Braconidae, Aphidiinae) from Chile with a Key to Species Identification.

The following work consists of the description of four new species of the genus Pseudephedrus Starý (Aphidiinae), endemic to South America, associated with endemic callaphidid aphid hosts. The descriptions of the new species are based on new samples from Chile and Argentina. The new species described here are as follows: Pseudephedrus staryi sp.

 sp. nov. (Hymenoptera, Braconidae, Aphidiinae): description of a new aphid parasitoid species with an identification key for species of the genus.

The braconid genus Hincks is a small member of the subfamily Aphidiinae, distributed in Europe and Central Asia. All its species are highly specialized parasitoids of aphids of the genera Koch and, probably, van der Hoeven which are mostly associated with maple and sycamore trees (genus ). Upon examination of specimens from the Naturalis Biodiversity Center, Leiden, we unexpectedly noted unusual variability in morphological characters compared to other known species.

Two new species of subtribe Monoctonina Mackauer from Europe (Hymenoptera, Braconidae, Aphidiinae).

Falciconus hispanicus sp. n. and Monoctonus montenegrinus sp.

Cereal Aphid Parasitoids in Europe (Hymenoptera: Braconidae: Aphidiinae): Taxonomy, Biodiversity, and Ecology.

Cereals are very common and widespread crops in Europe. Aphids are a diverse group of herbivorous pests on cereals and one of the most important limiting factors of cereal production. Here, we present an overview of knowledge about the taxonomy, biodiversity, and ecology of cereal aphid parasitoids in Europe, an important group of natural enemies contributing to cereal aphid control.

Sizing the Knowledge Gap in Taxonomy: The Last Dozen Years of Aphidiinae Research.

Taxonomic impediment is one of the main roadblocks to managing the current biodiversity crisis. Insect taxonomy is the biggest contributor to the taxonomic impediment, both in terms of the knowledge gap and the lack of experts. With this study, we tried to size the knowledge gap by analyzing taxonomical studies on the subfamily Aphidiinae (Hymenoptera: Braconidae) conducted from 2010 to 2021.

Resolving the Taxonomic Status of Potential Biocontrol Agents Belonging to the Neglected Genus Förster (Hymenoptera, Braconidae, Aphidiinae) with Descriptions of Six New Species.

is a small genus in the subfamily Aphidiinae represented by one species in Europe ( Förster) and by four in Asia ( Chen, Gahan, Pramanik and Raychaudhuri and Pramanik and Raychaudhuri). Although is employed in biological control programs against pest aphids, the last morphological study on the genus was completed over 50 years ago. This study employs an integrative approach (morphology and molecular analysis (COI barcode region)), to examine specimens that were sampled worldwide, including specimens from BOLD database.

Phylogeny of the Subtribe Monoctonina (Hymenoptera, Braconidae, Aphidiinae).

Members of the Monoctonina subtribe have long been neglected in applied studies of the subfamily Aphidiinae, due to their low economic importance, as they do not parasitize pests of cultivated plants. Consequently, data about this group are scarce, including its taxonomy and phylogeny. In the present study, we explore inter- and intraspecific genetic variation of Monoctonina species, including genera Haliday 1833, Starý 1962, Mackauer 1959 and Cameron 1900.

Review of the world Monoctonina Mackauer 1961 (Hymenoptera, Braconidae, Aphidiinae): key for their identification and descriptions of five new species.

The subtribe Monoctonina has long been overlooked when it comes to morphological studies, probably due to the low economic importance of its members. Mainly distributed in high montane areas and forest ecosystems, species of Monoctonina are not often found in large populations and do not parasitize pests of cultivated plants. Our research uncovered five new species belonging to this subtribe (Monoctonus brachyradius sp.

Phylogenetic relationships and subgeneric classification of European species (Hymenoptera, Braconidae, Aphidiinae).

In this study two molecular markers were used to establish taxonomic status and phylogenetic relationships of subgenera and species distributed in Europe. Fifteen of the nineteen currently known species have been analysed, representing three subgenera: Gärdenfors, 1986, Starý, 1958 and Haliday, 1833. The results of analysis of COI and EF1α molecular markers and morphological studies did not support this classification.

Integrative taxonomy of root aphid parasitoids from the genus (Hymenoptera, Braconidae, Aphidiinae) with description of new species.

Species from the genus are obligatory endoparasitoids of root aphids in the Palaearctic. It is known that these species are broadly distributed, parasitizing various aphid hosts and showing great biological and ecological diversity. On the other hand, this group of endoparasitoids is understudied and was thought to be represented by a single species in Europe, viz.

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.

Re-visiting the Aphidius urticae s. str. group: re-description of Aphidius rubi Starý and A. silvaticus Starý (Hymenoptera: Braconidae: Aphidiinae).

Here we tested Aphidius urticae s. str. host-associated lineages from Microlophium carnosum (Buckton), Amphorophora rubi (Kaltenbach), Macrosiphum funestum (Macchiati) and Aulacorthum vaccinii Hille Ris Lambers with the barcoding region of the mitochondrial cytochrome oxidase subunit I gene used to analyse population differences and elucidate phylogenetic relationships between the separated taxa.

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.

Revision of the world Monoctonia Starý, parasitoids of gall aphids: taxonomy, distribution, host range, and phylogeny (Hymenoptera, Braconidae: Aphidiinae).

The present paper represents a contribution to the knowledge of the taxonomy of Monoctonia Starý aphid parasitoids obtained using the barcoding region of the mitochondrial COI gene. We discuss the phylogenetic position of the genus within the subtribe Monoctonina, redescribe known species, and describe Monoctonia japonica sp. n.

Interference of field evidence, morphology, and DNA analyses of three related Lysiphlebus aphid parasitoids (Hymenoptera: Braconidae: Aphidiinae).

This study provides evidence on integrating the morphological, field, and laboratory data, and application of the cytochrome oxidase subunit I (COI) barcoding gene to the three asexual or sexual Lysiphlebus spp., i.e.

Lysiphlebus orientalis (Hymenoptera, Braconidae), a new invasive aphid parasitoid in Europe - evidence from molecular markers.

We report the occurrence of Lysiphlebus orientalis in Serbia, an aphid parasitoid from the Far East that is new to Europe and has the potential to become invasive. Our finding based on morphological characters is confirmed by analyses of mitochondrial cytochrome oxidase subunit I sequences. An increase in number and an expansion of the host range were observed during field studies over the past two years, and it is determined that the current host range encompasses nine aphid hosts on 12 different host plants, forming 13 tri-trophic associations.