Pholcus phalangioides in Finland (Araneae, Pholcidae)

The geographical range of the synanthropic spider Pholcus phalangioides is increasing. During the 15 years since its first documented occurrence in Finland, observations have accumulated substantially. Notably, a public inquiry in 2014 almost doubled the amount. Presently the total number of observations is 62, most of them from the southwestern parts of the country, the northernmost being from Pietarsaari (63°40’ N)

A molecular-based identification resource for the arthropods of Finland

Publisher Copyright: © 2021 The Authors. Molecular Ecology Resources published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.To associate specimens identified by molecular characters to other biological knowledge, we need reference sequences annotated by Linnaean taxonomy. In this study, we (1) report the creation of a comprehensive reference library of DNA barcodes for the arthropods of an entire country (Finland), (2) publish this library, and (3) deliver a new identification tool for insects and spiders, as based on this resource. The reference library contains mtDNA COI barcodes for 11,275 (43%) of 26,437 arthropod species known from Finland, including 10,811 (45%) of 23,956 insect species. To quantify the improvement in identification accuracy enabled by the current reference library, we ran 1000 Finnish insect and spider species through the Barcode of Life Data system (BOLD) identification engine. Of these, 91% were correctly assigned to a unique species when compared to the new reference library alone, 85% were correctly identified when compared to BOLD with the new material included, and 75% with the new material excluded. To capitalize on this resource, we used the new reference material to train a probabilistic taxonomic assignment tool, FinPROTAX, scoring high success. For the full-length barcode region, the accuracy of taxonomic assignments at the level of classes, orders, families, subfamilies, tribes, genera, and species reached 99.9%, 99.9%, 99.8%, 99.7%, 99.4%, 96.8%, and 88.5%, respectively. The FinBOL arthropod reference library and FinPROTAX are available through the Finnish Biodiversity Information Facility (www.laji.fi) at https://laji.fi/en/theme/protax. Overall, the FinBOL investment represents a massive capacity-transfer from the taxonomic community of Finland to all sectors of society.Peer reviewe

Host shifts within the parasitoid wasp genus Gelis Thunberg (Ichneumonidae: Cryptinae) traced through a molecular phylogeny

Parasitoid host interactions are intimately associated with food web dynamics as well as with evolutionary change. The parasitoid s possibility to expand its host range or switch to different hosts is affected by parasitic strategy. Strong specialization to a narrow host repertoire can arise e.g. if the larva spends considerable time in close contact with an active, developing host (koinobiosis). In contrast, an ectoparasitic larva, growing rapidly on a sessile host, does not have to be equally tightly adapted to host physiology. This may permit a wider host range. However, there are other restricting factors, such as egg production capacity. Extant parasitoids show a staggering species diversity, most notably among the Hymenoptera. Theories concerning speciation in association with host range have been developed, but draw from knowledge of merely a small part of this diversity. This study adds information by showing a number of radical host shifts in the evolutionary history of the ichneumonid wasp genus Gelis. Species of this genus exploit either insect prepupae or spider eggs. These are similar in being rather defenceless, aside from a protective silk covering. Nonetheless, differences are large enough to restrict Gelis species to each utilise only one of the two groups. In order to trace ancient host group shifts, host data was mapped onto a phylogeny constructed through bayesian analysis of sequence data. Sequences from the COI (mitochondrial) and ITS2 (nuclear, noncoding) regions were used. The results suggested at least four host group shifts within the genus. In addition, wing reduction was found to have occurred in two different lineages. Through COI barcode sequence clustering supported by morphological traits, a previously undescribed species from the G. bicolor-species complex was detected. The phylogenetic analyses also indicated the existence of further cryptic species, and the genus Thaumatogelis Schwarz was found to be nested within Gelis.Parasitoiders interaktioner med sina värdar är intimt förbundna med såväl näringsvävars dynamik som långsiktiga evolutionära förändringar. Parasiteringsstrategin påverkar parasitoidens möjlighet att utöka sin värdbredd eller byta värddjur. En starkt specialiserad anpassning till ett smalt urval av värdarter kan uppstå genom att larven befinner sig inuti värden under en längre tid. En snabb, ektoparasitisk larvtillväxt ger ofta ett mer flexibelt värdval, som dock begränsas av andra faktorer, exempelvis honans äggproduktion. Den enorma artrikedomen av parasitoider är fördelad på flera insektordningar, allra mest märkbart hos steklarna (Hymenoptera). Teoribildningen kring värdinteraktioner grundar sig på studier av en blott liten andel av denna mångfald. I denna undersökning klarlades hur många radikala byten av värddjursgrupper som har skett i släktet Gelis (Ichneumonidae: Cryptinae) evolutionshistoria. Släktets värdspektrum inbegriper två påtagligt olika värdgrupper: insektprepuppor och spindelägg. Likheterna består i att de är inneslutna i skyddande kokonger och relativt försvarslösa. Men skillnaderna i värdegenskaper är tillräckligt stora för att representanterna för varje Gelis-art ska begränsa sig till parasitera bara den ena av grupperna. För ändamålet konstruerades, med bayesiansk analysmetod, en partiell molekylär fylogeni baserad på två genregioner, en mitokondriell (COI) och en nukleär (ITS2). övergångar från nyttjande av insektprepuppor till spindelägg kunde härledas ur placeringen av olika värdpreferenser i släktträdet. Sådana övergångar befanns ha inträ at fyra gånger inom de delar av släktet Gelis som omfattas av rekonstruktionen, och dessa har skett i olika skeden av gruppens evolutionshistoria. Därtill granskades förekomsten av arter med reducerade vingar, en egenskap som finns hos både insekts- och spindelparasiterande arter och enligt den aktuella fylogenin har evolverat i minst två olika släktlinjer inom Gelis. Genom klusterbildning hos COI-sekvenserna uppenbarades en tidigare förbisedd art inom G. bicolor-artkomplexet. Det molekylära resultatet understöddes av morfologiska kännetecken. Förekomst av ytterligare kryptiska arter indikerades av genetiskt avstånd, sekvenskluster, i något fall även morfologi. Här krävs dock fortsatta studier för att bekräfta eller förkasta deras identitet som goda arter. Släktet Thaumatogelis Schwarz konstaterades vara en del av Gelis

Snapshot of the Hymenopteran fauna of Stora Karlsö

Stora Karlsö is a small island close to Gotland in the Baltic Sea of which the Hymenopteran fauna has not been extensively studied before. In August 2014, a team of eight persons carried out an inventory of Hymenoptera, mainly the parasitoid wasps and sawflies, on the island. Sampling was done with Malaise traps for a period of 22 days, complemented with vegetation sweeping, branch shaking and opportunistic handpicking during a five day sojourn. As a result, about 200 species of parasitoid wasps and 14 sawflies are reported for Stora Karlsö for the first time. Eleven species are reported as new to Sweden: The sawfly Athalia cornubiae Benson, 1931, the gasteruptiid Gasteruption opacum (Tournier, 1877), the diapriid Spilomicrus rufitarsis (Kieffer, 1911), the eulophid Entedonomphale bulgarica Boyadzhiev & Triapitsyn, 2007, the braconids Bracon rozneri Papp, 1998 and Gnamptodon decoris (Förster, 1862), and the ichneumonids Bathythrix maculata (Hellén, 1957), Heterischnus filiformis (Gravenhorst, 1829), Lissonota picticoxis Schmiedeknecht, 1900,Mesochorus tipularius Gravenhorst, 1829, Ophion brevicornis Morley, 1915, and Plectochorus iwatensis (Uchida, 1928). Also the gasteruptiid Gasteruption opacum (Tournier,1877) is reported new to Sweden based on a record from inventory by NJ in 2013. This demonstrates how the knowledge of Swedish biodiversity can be substantially augmented by a short and intensive collecting expedition. We strongly recommend that other places in the country be subjected to similar efforts

A molecular‐based identification resource for the arthropods of Finland

To associate specimens identified by molecular characters to other biological knowledge, we need reference sequences annotated by Linnaean taxonomy. In this paper, we 1) report the creation of a comprehensive reference library of DNA barcodes for the arthropods of an entire country (Finland), 2) publish this library, and 3) deliver a new identification tool for insects and spiders, as based on this resource. The reference library contains mtDNA COI barcodes for 11,275 (43%) of 26,437 arthropod species known from Finland, including 10,811 (45%) of 23,956 insect species. To quantify the improvement in identification accuracy enabled by the current reference library, we ran 1,000 Finnish insect and spider species through the Barcode of Life Data system (BOLD) identification engine. Of these, 91% were correctly assigned to a unique species when compared to the new reference library alone, 85% were correctly identified when compared to BOLD with the new material included, and 75% with the new material excluded. To capitalize on this resource, we used the new reference material to train a probabilistic taxonomic assignment tool, FinPROTAX, scoring high success. For the full-length barcode region, the accuracy of taxonomic assignments at the level of classes, orders, families, subfamilies, tribes, genera, and species reached 99.9%, 99.9%, 99.8%, 99.7%, 99.4%, 96.8%, and 88.5%, respectively. The FinBOL arthropod reference library and FinPROTAX are available through the Finnish Biodiversity Information Facility (www.laji.fi). Overall, the FinBOL investment represents a massive capacity-transfer from the taxonomic community of Finland to all sectors of society.peerReviewe