A collection of egg parasitoids in the Scelionidae are identified as members of the Telenomus californicus Ashmead, 1893 complex (californicus+dalmanni+arzamae groups). They were reared from eggs of the cactus zebra worm, Melitara cf. junctoliniella Hulst, 1900 (Pyralidae: Phycitinae) infesting Opuntia streptacantha Lemaire, 1839 (Cactaceae) at Bustamante, Nuevo León, Mexico.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFTwo new species of Calliscelio Ashmead (Hymenoptera: Scelionidae) are described: C. safavii Popovici & Talamas, sp. nov.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFSpecimens of an egg parasitoid wasp, Johnson (Platygastroidea, Scelionidae), were reared from stink bug egg masses collected in the wild, in Maryland, United States. The egg masses were identified morphologically as (Stål), Stål and Dallas (Hemiptera, Pentatomidae). Molecular tools were used to further identify the egg masses as (Say) and (Say).
View Article and Find Full Text PDFApplying consistent terminology for morphological traits across different taxa is a highly pertinent task in the study of morphology and evolution. Different terminologies for the same traits can generate bias in phylogeny and prevent correct homology assessments. This situation is exacerbated in the male genitalia of Hymenoptera, and specifically in Ichneumonoidea, in which the terminology is not standardized and has not been fully aligned with the rest of Hymenoptera.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAn adventive population of the exotic parasitoid wasp, Trissolcus japonicus (Ashmead) (Hymenoptera: Scelionidae), discovered in Michigan in 2018, is a promising biological control agent of the invasive Halyomorpha halys (Stål) (Hemiptera: Pentatomidae). Following its discovery, field releases of Tr. japonicus were conducted over 2 yr in southern Michigan, to test how release size or release frequency impacts establishment.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe parasitoid wasp genus Trichacis Förster is revised for Europe. Examination of historical and modern collections combined with DNA barcoding revealed the presence of only a single species in Europe, Trichacis tristis (Nees, 1834), redescribed here. Fourteen new synonymies are proposed for T.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAdventive populations of Trissolcus japonicus (Ashmead), an egg parasitoid of the invasive agricultural pest, brown marmorated stink bug, Halyomorpha halys (Stål) (Hemiptera: Pentatomidae), have been detected in the United States since 2014. Given its importance as an H. halys biocontrol agent, efforts to redistribute T.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe order Hymenoptera (wasps, ants, sawflies, and bees) represents one of the most diverse animal lineages, but whether specific key innovations have contributed to its diversification is still unknown. We assembled the largest time-calibrated phylogeny of Hymenoptera to date and investigated the origin and possible correlation of particular morphological and behavioral innovations with diversification in the order: the wasp waist of Apocrita; the stinger of Aculeata; parasitoidism, a specialized form of carnivory; and secondary phytophagy, a reversal to plant-feeding. Here, we show that parasitoidism has been the dominant strategy since the Late Triassic in Hymenoptera, but was not an immediate driver of diversification.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFTrissolcus japonicus (Ashmead) (Hymenoptera: Scelionidae) is an egg parasitoid of the invasive Asian pest, brown marmorated stink bug, Halyomorpha halys (Stål) (Hemiptera: Pentatomidae). Also native to Asia, adventive T. japonicus populations have been detected in North America since 2014, and are currently reported from 15 U.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe brown marmorated stink bug (Stål) (Hemiptera: Pentatomidae) is native to Northeast Asia, but has become a serious invasive species in North America and Europe, causing major damage to crops. While it has not established itself in Australia, it has been intercepted at the border several times, indicating that future incursions and establishment are a case of when, not if. Biological control is one of the few control options for this species and will be important for managing should it become established in Australia.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe samurai wasp, (Ashmead), has been proposed as a biocontrol agent against brown marmorated stink bugs (BMSB), due to its ability to parasitize and kill BMSB eggs. However, the wasps' small size makes it challenging for those untrained in morphological identification to determine the wasps' species. To circumvent this problem, a molecular method was created to identify .
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe samurai wasp, (Ashmead) (Hymenoptera: Scelionidae), is an egg parasitoid associated with the brown marmorated stink bug, (Stål) (Hemiptera: Pentatomidae). is a candidate for classical biological control of populations. Since 2014, adventive populations of have been detected in 14 US states, in the Canadian provinces of British Columbia and Ontario, and in two European countries, Switzerland and Italy.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF, an important egg parasitoid of in Asia, was first detected in the USA in 2014. To evaluate the effect of habitat and the seasonality of detections in the USA, yellow sticky traps were placed in the canopy of growing at the edge of isolated patches of trees, windbreaks, and woodlots in northern Virginia in 2018 and 2019. In both years, captures occurred from May to September, and peaked in July and August.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFHalyomorpha halys (Stål) is an invasive pest in the United States and other countries. In its native range, H. halys eggs are parasitized by a co-evolved parasitoid, Trissolcus japonicus (Ashmead).
View Article and Find Full Text PDFLonghorned beetles (Coleoptera: Cerambycidae) include many species that are among the most damaging pests of managed and natural forest ecosystems worldwide. Many species of cerambycids use volatile chemical signals (i.e.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe genus Phanuromyia in the subfamily Telenominae (Hymenoptera: Scelionidae) consists of 60 described species, for which host records indicate they are egg parasitoids of lanternflies and planthoppers (Hemiptera: Auchenorrhyncha). In this study, we describe a new species of the genus, P. ricaniae sp.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe eggs parasitoids (Crawford) (Hymenoptera: Encyrtidae), Johnson, Johnson (Hymenoptera: Scelionidae) and Oatman and Platner (Hymenoptera: Trichogrammatidae) are reported for the first time or in new localities in Mexico. Their occurrence was first discovered in 2018 during a survey of parasitism on chrysopid eggs, conducted on L. Moench (Poales: Poaceae) and L.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFLong-distance migration of insects impacts food security, public health, and conservation-issues that are especially significant in Africa. Windborne migration is a key strategy enabling exploitation of ephemeral havens such as the Sahel, however, its knowledge remains sparse. In this first cross-season investigation (3 years) of the aerial fauna over Africa, we sampled insects flying 40-290 m above ground in Mali, using nets mounted on tethered helium-filled balloons.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFHidden trophic interactions are important in understanding food web ecology and evaluating the ecological risks and benefits associated with the introduction of exotic natural enemies in classical biological control programs. Although non-target risk is typically evaluated based on evidence of successful parasitism, parasitoid-induced host mortality not resulting in visible evidence of parasitism (i.e.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFComp Biochem Physiol Part D Genomics Proteomics
March 2021
Parasitic wasps largely rely on chemosenses to locate resources. Understanding the evolution of their chemoreceptors can help elucidate the mechanisms underlying host adaptation and speciation. Trissolcus basalis is a biological control agent of the southern green stink bug, a pantropical pest, and is ideal for investigating the evolution of chemoreceptors.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Haliday (Platygastroidea: Scelionidae) is a cosmopolitan genus of egg-parasitoid wasps primarily associated with Heteroptera.
New Information: Kozlov & Lê is reported for the first time outside of Vietnam, in China and Cambodia, and as an egg parasitoid of the pestiferous leaf-footed bug, (L.).
The highly polyphagous and invasive brown marmorated stink bug, (Stål) (Hemiptera: Pentatomidae), has become a significant insect pest in North America since its detection in 1996. It was first documented in northern Utah in 2012 and reports of urban nuisance problems and plant damage have since increased. Biological control is the preferred solution to managing in North America and other invaded regions due to its alignment with integrated pest management and sustainable practices.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Ashmead (Hymenoptera: Scelionidae) is a cosmopolitan genus of egg-parasitoid wasps associated with stink bugs (Pentatomidae, Scutelleridae, Urostylididae), many of which are important insect pests. Documentation of host associations for these wasps, which we here provide via museum specimens, can support their use as biological control agents of invasive stink bugs.
New Information: The hosts of seven species are reported from China: (Mayr) (hosts: Stål, Pentatomidae; Distant, Urostylididae), (Watanabe) (host: (Dallas), Pentatomidae), (Ashmead) (hosts: (Thunberg), Pentatomidae; (Poda), Pentatomidae), (Crawford) (host: Dallas, Scutelleridae), (Ashmead) (host: Pentatomidae), (Nees von Esenbeck) (host: sp.
The adventive arrival of biological control agents circumvents the regulatory process by introducing exotic species to control invasive pests and is generally followed by post hoc risk evaluation. The bean plataspid, (Fabricius) (Hemiptera: Plataspidae), is an invasive pest of leguminous crops in the south-eastern United States that was eventually followed by two parasitoid wasps from its range in the eastern hemisphere, (Dodd) (Scelionidae) and Ishii (Encyrtidae). In North Central Florida, sentinel egg masses, intended to capture , instead yielded , which was previously known only from Alabama (Ademokoya et al.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: A parasitoid wasp, (Wollaston), was recorded parasitizing eggs of the invasive stink bug (Stål) in the United States. This is the first record of this species parasitizing fresh and frozen eggs of in the United States.
New Information: First record of eggs in the United States.