Cuticular Hydrocarbons as Putative Sex Pheromones and Mating Peculiarity of Cuckoo Wasps Chrysis Angustula, Chrysis fulgida and Chrysis Iris (Hymenoptera: Chrysididae).

Cuckoo wasps, also known as jewel or gold wasps (Hymenoptera: Chrysididae), are kleptoparasites and parasitoids that impose their offspring on the breeding efforts of other wasp species. Chrysidids oviposit in the nests of predatory wasps, and the hatched larva kills the host's larva and consumes the resources collected by the host. When a cuckoo wasp is detected by the host wasp, the host may abandon the nest or take other measures to prevent the development of the kleptoparasite.

Ecological Speciation without Morphological Differentiation? A New Cryptic Species of Curtis (Hymenoptera, Pemphredonidae) from the Centre of Europe.

Upon exploring the mitotype diversity of the aphid-hunting wasp, , we revealed specimens with highly divergent mitotypes from two localities in Lithuania and nesting in clayey substrate, while the specimens with typical mitotypes were found nesting in sandy sites. The comparison of inter- and intra-specific distances and application of delimitation algorithms supported the species status of the clay-nesting populations. Using a set of DNA markers that included complete or partial sequences of six mitochondrial genes, three markers of ribosomal operon, two homeobox genes, and four other nuclear genes, we clarified the phylogenetic relationships of the new cryptic species.

Nesting biology and phylogenetic relationships of the parasitoid-hunting wasp Lindenius pygmaeus armatus (Vander Linden, 1829) (Hymenoptera: Crabronidae).

Nests of Lindenius pygmaeus armatus were examined in northern Poland in Kowalewo Pomorskie and Sierakowo. Adults were encountered from late May to late July. The nests were built in sandy areas and wasteland.

PESI - a taxonomic backbone for Europe.

Background: Reliable taxonomy underpins communication in all of biology, not least nature conservation and sustainable use of ecosystem resources. The flexibility of taxonomic interpretations, however, presents a serious challenge for end-users of taxonomic concepts. Users need standardised and continuously harmonised taxonomic reference systems, as well as high-quality and complete taxonomic data sets, but these are generally lacking for non-specialists.

Testing the validity of Northern European species in the Chrysis ignita species group (Hymenoptera: Chrysididae) with DNA barcoding.

Containing more than a hundred species, the Chrysis ignita species group is the largest and one of the most taxonomically challenging groups in its genus. It has not been possible to resolve the taxonomy of the group using traditional methods due to the lack of robust diagnostic morphological characters. Here we present the results of a molecular analysis designed to delimit species in the Chrysis ignita group for the first time; using mitochondrial sequence data for 364 in-group specimens consisting of all 18 species known to occur in Northern Europe.

Species identification and genetic differentiation of European cavity-nesting wasps (Hymenoptera: Vespidae, Pompilidae, Crabronidae) inferred from DNA barcoding data.

Solitary trap-nesting wasps are prospective bioindicators of anthropogenic pressures on natural ecosystems and one of the surrogate taxa for biodiversity assessments. The implementation of these studies is taxonomy-based and relies on accurate identification of species. The identification of larval stages of cavity-nesting Hymenoptera, collected using trap-nests, is complicated or impossible before the post-hibernation hatching of adults.

Sexual size dimorphism in the ontogeny of the solitary predatory wasp Symmorphus allobrogus (Hymenoptera: Vespidae).

Sex-specific patterns of individual growth, resulting in sexual size dimorphism (SSD), are a little studied aspect of the ontogeny related to the evolutionary history and affected by the ecology of a species. We used empirical data on the development of the predatory wasp Symmorphus allobrogus (Hymenoptera, Vespidae) to test the hypotheses that sexual differences of growth resulting in the female-biased SSD embrace the difference in (1) the egg size and the starting size of larva, (2) the larval development duration, and (3) the larval growth rate. We found that eggs developing into males and females have significant differences in size.

Advantages of volunteer-based biodiversity monitoring in Europe.

Without robust and unbiased systems for monitoring, changes in natural systems will remain enigmatic for policy makers, leaving them without a clear idea of the consequences of any environmental policies they might adopt. Generally, biodiversity-monitoring activities are not integrated or evaluated across any large geographic region. The EuMon project conducted the first large-scale evaluation of monitoring practices in Europe through an on-line questionnaire and is reporting on the results of this survey.

National responsibilities in European species conservation: a methodological review.

One particular challenge in reducing the loss of biodiversity by 2010, as agreed on at the Earth Summit in 2002, is to assign conservation tasks to geographic or administrative entities (e.g., countries or regions) on different geographical scales.