Saproxylic Hymenoptera in dead wood retained on clear cuts, relation to wood parameters and their degree of specialisation

Intensive forestry is a threat to biodiversity, and therefore actions are made to mitigate this loss. The actions are, however, designed based on available knowledge about the requirements of species, and for saproxylic insects this concerns mainly Coleoptera, while the diverse but poorly known Hymenoptera has contributed less. In this paper we therefore asked whether the substrate requirements of Hymenoptera (divided as parasitoids and non-parasitoids) are similar to those of Coleoptera and Diptera. We used an insect material reared from logging residue wood for the comparison. Theoretically parasitoid Hymenoptera should be less specialised than Coleoptera and other host species as they belong to a higher trophic level. However, we found no such diference and even an opposite trend, that parasitoids were more specialised than beetles. Parasitoids had signifcantly more species in newly dead wood of fne diameter (1–4 cm, compared to coarse wood of 8–15 cm) compared to other groups. This is probably due to that many of them have bark beetles as hosts. The non-parasitoids were less specialised than the other groups and more confned to old wood (4–5 years), which is in line with that many of them are aculeate wasps building nests in emergence holes from other insects

A Revision of <i>Zaeucoila</i> Ashmead (Hymenoptera, Figitidae), Parasitoids of Agromyzidae (Diptera): New Species, Identity, Distribution, and Hosts

The eucoiline genus Zaeucoila Ashmead is revised. Following a reevaluation combining previously published phylogenetic data and new specimens, Agrostocynips Díaz is synonymized with Zaeucoila. All species included in Zaeucoila are systematically treated, and now amounts to twelve, seven of which are described as new here: Zaeucoila bitiburculata new species, Z. fidalgoii new species, Z. infuscata new species, Z. johnsonii new species, Z. lignys new species, Z. normae new species, Z. patera new species. The following new combinations are proposed and species redescribed: Zaeucoila grenadensis (Ashmead), new combination; Z. robusta (Ashmead), new combination; Z. flavipes (Ashmead), new combination. Agrostocynips diastrophi (Ashmead), Agrostocynips clavatus Díaz, and Agrostocynips enneatoma (Díaz) are new synonyms of Zaeucoila robusta. Zaeucoila incompleta (Kieffer), Z. triangulifera Kieffer, and Z. unicarinata Ashmead are redescribed. Zaeucoila is an unusual genus of Zaeucoilini in its wide distribution area: it can be found from southern Argentina well into the eastern United States and southern Canada; no other zaeucoiline genus shows such a pattern. Host records and geographic data for Zaeucoila are brought up to date, as well as a key to species. Zeucoila are primary parasitoids of Agromyzidae, including Liriomyza trifolii and other species that are notable economic pests of agriculture. Tropideucoila fulvonotata (Kieffer) is transferred to Marthiella (new combination).Facultad de Ciencias Naturales y Muse

Review of Afrotropical Figitinae (Figitidae, Cynipoidea, Hymenoptera) with the first records of Neralsia and Lonchidia for the region

The cynipoid subfamily Figitinae is poorly represented in the Afrotropical region with two genera (Figites Latreille and Xyalophora Kieffer) and six species currently known. Here we record an additional two genera (Neralsia Cameron and Lonchidia Thomson) for the region and describe three new species: Neralsia haddocki sp. n.; Xyalophora tedjoansi sp. n.; Xyalophora tintini sp. n. Benoit’s species described in 1956 are synonymized under Figites aciculatus (Benoit, 1956): Figites effossus syn. n.; Figites favonius syn. n.; Figites furvus syn. n.; Figites fraudator syn. n. Identification keys to the figitine genera and species occurring in the Afrotropical region are provided. Online interactive Lucid Phoenix and Lucid matrix keys are available at: http://www.waspweb.org/Cynipoidea/Keys/index.ht

Cleptes pallipes Lepeletier synonym of Cleptes semiauratus (Linnaeus) and description of Cleptes striatipleuris sp. nov. (Hymenoptera: Chrysididae, Cleptinae)

The interpretation of Linnaeus’ name Sphex semiaurata Linnaeus, 1761 has been controversial. After type examinations, we conclude that it is identical with the common Cleptes pallipes Lepeletier, 1806 and thus re-establish the old synonymy: Cleptes semiauratus (Linnaeus, 1761) (=Cleptes pallipes Lepeletier, 1806, syn. reinst.). We have been unable to find an available name for the species with which it has been confused. In order to be able to designate a suitable type specimen, we prefer to describe it as a new species rather than suggest a replacement name: Cleptes striatipleuris Rosa, Forshage, Paukkunen & Soon sp. nov. (=Cleptes semiauratus sensu Lepeletier, 1806, nec Linnaeus, 1761; =C. splendens sensu Linsenmaier 1959, nec Fabricius, 1798).The interpretation of Linnaeus’ name Sphex semiaurata Linnaeus, 1761 has been controversial. After type examinations, we conclude that it is identical with the common Cleptes pallipes Lepeletier, 1806 and thus re-establish the old synonymy: Cleptes semiauratus (Linnaeus, 1761) (=Cleptes pallipes Lepeletier, 1806, syn. reinst.). We have been unable to find an available name for the species with which it has been confused. In order to be able to designate a suitable type specimen, we prefer to describe it as a new species rather than suggest a replacement name: Cleptes striatipleuris Rosa, Forshage, Paukkunen & Soon sp. nov. (=Cleptes semiauratus sensu Lepeletier, 1806, nec Linnaeus, 1761; =C. splendens sensu Linsenmaier 1959, nec Fabricius, 1798).Peer reviewe

A revision of Zaeucoila Ashmead (Hymenoptera, Figitidae), parasitoids of Agromyzidae (Diptera): new species, identity, distribution, and hosts

Fil: Buffington, Matthew L.. National Museum of Natural History. Smithsonian Institution. Systematic Entomology Laboratory; USAFil: Gallardo, Fabiana Edith. Universidad Nacional de La Plata. Facultad de Ciencias Naturales y Museo. División Entomología; ArgentinaFil: Reche, Vanina Anadina. Universidad Nacional del Litoral. Facultad de Ciencias Agrarias. Cátedra de Zoología Agrícola; ArgentinaFil: Forshage, Mattias. Swedish Museum of Natural History; Swede

A Revision of Zaeucoila Ashmead (Hymenoptera, Figitidae), Parasitoids of Agromyzidae (Diptera): New Species, Identity, Distribution, and Hosts

The eucoiline genus Zaeucoila Ashmead is revised. Following a reevaluation combining previously published phylogenetic data and new specimens, Agrostocynips Díaz is synonymized with Zaeucoila. All species included in Zaeucoila are systematically treated, and now amounts to twelve, seven of which are described as new here: Zaeucoila bitiburculata new species, Z. fidalgoii new species, Z. infuscata new species, Z. johnsonii new species, Z. lignys new species, Z. normae new species, Z. patera new species. The following new combinations are proposed and species redescribed: Zaeucoila grenadensis (Ashmead), new combination; Z. robusta (Ashmead), new combination; Z. flavipes (Ashmead), new combination. Agrostocynips diastrophi (Ashmead), Agrostocynips clavatus Díaz, and Agrostocynips enneatoma (Díaz) are new synonyms of Zaeucoila robusta. Zaeucoila incompleta (Kieffer), Z. triangulifera Kieffer, and Z. unicarinata Ashmead are redescribed. Zaeucoila is an unusual genus of Zaeucoilini in its wide distribution area: it can be found from southern Argentina well into the eastern United States and southern Canada; no other zaeucoiline genus shows such a pattern. Host records and geographic data for Zaeucoila are brought up to date, as well as a key to species. Zeucoila are primary parasitoids of Agromyzidae, including Liriomyza trifolii and other species that are notable economic pests of agriculture. Tropideucoila fulvonotata (Kieffer) is transferred to Marthiella (new combination)

Completing Linnaeus's inventory of the Swedish insect fauna: Only 5,000 species left?

Despite more than 250 years of taxonomic research, we still have only a vague idea about the true size and composition of the faunas and floras of the planet. Many biodiversity inventories provide limited insight because they focus on a small taxonomic subsample or a tiny geographic area. Here, we report on the size and composition of the Swedish insect fauna, thought to represent roughly half of the diversity of multicellular life in one of the largest European countries. Our results are based on more than a decade of data from the Swedish Taxonomy Initiative and its massive inventory of the country's insect fauna, the Swedish Malaise Trap Project The fauna is considered one of the best known in the world, but the initiative has nevertheless revealed a surprising amount of hidden diversity: more than 3,000 new species (301 new to science) have been documented so far. Here, we use three independent methods to analyze the true size and composition of the fauna at the family or subfamily level: (1) assessments by experts who have been working on the most poorly known groups in the fauna; (2) estimates based on the proportion of new species discovered in the Malaise trap inventory; and (3) extrapolations based on species abundance and incidence data from the inventory. For the last method, we develop a new estimator, the combined non-parametric estimator, which we show is less sensitive to poor coverage of the species pool than other popular estimators. The three methods converge on similar estimates of the size and composition of the fauna, suggesting that it comprises around 33,000 species. Of those, 8,600 (26%) were unknown at the start of the inventory and 5,000 (15%) still await discovery. We analyze the taxonomic and ecological composition of the estimated fauna, and show that most of the new species belong to Hymenoptera and Diptera groups that are decomposers or parasitoids. Thus, current knowledge of the Swedish insect fauna is strongly biased taxonomically and ecologically, and we show that similar but even stronger biases have distorted our understanding of the fauna in the past. We analyze latitudinal gradients in the size and composition of known European insect faunas and show that several of the patterns contradict the Swedish data, presumably due to similar knowledge biases. Addressing these biases is critical in understanding insect biomes and the ecosystem services they provide. Our results emphasize the need to broaden the taxonomic scope of current insect monitoring efforts, a task that is all the more urgent as recent studies indicate a possible worldwide decline in insect faunas

A hymenopterists' guide to the hymenoptera anatomy ontology: utility, clarification, and future directions

Hymenoptera exhibit an incredible diversity of phenotypes, the result of ~240 million years of evolution and the primary subject of more than 250 years of research. Here we describe the history, development, and utility of the Hymenoptera Anatomy Ontology (HAO) and its associated applications. These resourc¬es are designed to facilitate accessible and extensible research on hymenopteran phenotypes. Outreach with the hymenopterist community is of utmost importance to the HAO project, and this paper is a direct response to questions that arose from project workshops. In a concerted attempt to surmount barriers of understanding, especially regarding the format, utility, and development of the HAO, we discuss the roles of homology, “preferred terms”, and “structural equivalency”. We also outline the use of Universal Resource Identifiers (URIs) and posit that they are a key element necessary for increasing the objectivity and repeatability of science that references hymenopteran anatomy. Pragmatically, we detail a mechanism (the “URI table”) by which authors can use URIs to link their published text to the HAO, and we describe an associated tool (the “Analyzer”) to derive these tables. These tools, and others, are available through the HAO Portal website (http://portal.hymao.org). We conclude by discussing the future of the HAO with respect to digital publication, cross-taxon ontology alignment, the advent of semantic phenotypes, and community-based curation.Katja C. Seltmann... Andrew D. Austin... John T. Jennings... et al

Systematics of Eucoilini : Exploring the diversity of a poorly known group of Cynipoid parasitic wasps

Many animal species are still undiscovered, even in Sweden. This thesis deals with the wasps of the subfamily Eucoilinae (of Figitidae, Cynipoidea), a poorly known group of small parasitoids of Dipteran flies. In this group, old classifications are chaotic, knowledge of old taxa is scant, phylogenetic work has recently started, and many new taxa remain to be described. In this thesis, an identification key is given to the European genera of Eucolinae, and a tribal classification of the subfamily is reintroduced, based on recent phylogenetic results. Most of the thesis focuses on the tribe Eucoilini. That tribe is analyzed phylogenetically in two analyses, one based on a large morphological dataset, the other on two molecular markers, ribosomal 28S and mitochondrial Cytochrome B. The monophyletic core group of Eucoilini is the Eucoila/Trybliographa complex. It is treated in a big taxonomic revision, based on studies of several hundred possibly relevant type specimens and several thousands of other specimens, and on the phylogenetic analyses. More than 500 names of possible members of this group are investigated, and many new combinations are proposed, of species found not to belong within the group, as well as those that did, including some which are transferred to other genera in accordance with the new phylogenetic results. The new genus Quasimodoana is erected, and 20 new species described (8 from Northern Europe, 12 from elsewhere). More than 180 new combinations, more than 50 new species-level synonyms and ca 10 genus-level synonyms, are proposed. Within this complex, the basal split is found to have been between a Paleotropic, specis-poor lineage (Bothrochacis), and a species-rich and largely Holarctic lineage, dominated by Trybliographa but also including the small genera Eucoila and Linoeucoila. The three are not satisfactorily resolved in the analysis, but still maintained as separate genera for pragmatic reasons. It is hypothesized that this group originated in Asia during the Eocene or Oligocene, attacking calyptrate flies in herbivore dung. Then it separated in a tropical branch retaining the ancestral life history mode, and a Holarctic branch, where some lineages specialised in Anthomyiidae and colonised the microhabitats of fungi and plants, speciating extensively in the boreal forests

Varför var de gamla entomologerna swedenborgare?

In the decades surrounding the turn of the century 1800, several of the leading entomolo- gists in Sweden were also involved in Christian sects following the doctrines of Emanuel Swedenborg. This has often been noted by historians, but only occasionally by entomolo- gists, and has never been subjected to closer study. This paper sketches the history of Swedenborgian entomology in Sweden, from natural history students in Skara in the 1780s, over the utopian plans connected with the Swedish involvement in the colonial adventure in West Africa, to the Linnaean and Swedenborgian societies in Gotland and Stockholm, the coleopterist stronghold on the plain of Västergöt- land, and eventually to a last survivor in Fåhraeus’s old days. The two early key figures both came from Västergötland, Adam Afzelius and Leonard Gyllenhal. In the African adventure, the naturalists inspired by Swedenborg were Afzelius and Anders Sparrman. Gotland became a stronghold where Pehr Hemming Odhner and Gustaf J Billberg tutored Olof I Fåhraeus. In the Swedenborgian circles in Stockholm, Billberg, Carl Johan Schönherr and Carl E Deléen were prominent. Then Gyllenhal and Schönherr were both in Västergötland and Fåhraeus in Göteborg. Short biographies of these persons are given and their interconnections laid out. The Linnaean perspective on nature had one of its cornerstone in a religious sense of wonder when facing nature, which is known as physico-theology. In the generation after Linnaeus, some prominent naturalists turned away from wonder and speculation, in paral- lel with ongoing enlightenment campaigns against superstition. Especially in the tradi- tional academic natural history environments in Uppsala and Lund there was a reaction with many people turning to the new ideas of ”romantic biology” or ”Naturphilosophie” in Oken’s sense. Whereas in the non-academy-based, more bourgeois and amateur, natural history circles in Stockholm, in Västergötland and eventually in Göteborg, the maintaining of the sense of wonder in Linnaeanism seems to have fit better with the Swedenborgian movement and Swedenborg’s idea