Checklist of British and Irish Hymenoptera - Platygastroidea

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Diapriidae (Hymenoptera, Diaprioidea) of the Maltese Islands

Five species, four genera, two subfamilies of Diapriidae and the family itself are all recorded as new to the Maltese Islands based on material collected from Verdala Palace by David Mifsud (DM). A provisional key to the genera of Maltese diapriids is provided to facilitate further research.peer-reviewe

Revision of the types of species of Alloxysta described by Cameron and Fergusson (Hymenoptera: Figitidae: Charipinae) and deposited in the Natural History Museum (London), including a key to the fauna of Great Britain

Type material of the species of Alloxysta described by Cameron and Fergusson and deposited in the Natural History Museum of London has been revised. Seven species are considered valid: Alloxysta abdera Fergusson, 1986, A. basimacula (Cameron, 1886), A. crassa (Cameron, 1889), A. mullensis (Cameron, 1883), A. piceomaculata (Cameron, 1883), A. pleuralis (Cameron, 1879) and A. semiaperta Fergusson, 1986. A. basimacula, A. crassa, A. maculicollis (Cameron, 1886), A. perplexa (Cameron, 1889) and A. piceomaculata are here removed from synonymy with A. macrophadna (Hartig, 1841). A. rufi ceps (Cameron, 1883) is removed from synonymy with A. victrix (Westwood, 1833). A. caledonica (Cameron, 1886) and A. perplexa are here synonymized with A. basimacula. A. maculicollis, A. ruficeps and A. ruficollis (Cameron, 1883) are here synonymized with A. castanea (Hartig, 1841). A. ancylocera (Cameron, 1886) was correctly synonymized with A. fuscicornis (Hartig, 1841), A. curvicornis (Cameron, 1883) was correctly synonymized with A. victrix and A. filicornis (Cameron, 1889) was correctly synonymized with A. macrophadna. Complete redescriptions and illustrations are given for valid species. A key for all the Alloxysta species found so far in Great Britain is given

A catalogue of the types of Diapriinae (Hymenoptera, Diapriidae) at the Natural History Museum, London

The types of nominal species of Diapriinae in the collection of the Natural History Museum, London, are catalogued. Lectotypes are designated for the following taxa: Diapria peraffinis Ashmead, 1896; D. smithii Ashmead, 1896; Galesus bipunctatus Ashmead,1894; G. (G.) foersteri var. nigricornis Kieffer, 1911; G. sexpunctatus Ashmead, 1893; G. walkeri Kieffer, 1907; Idiotypa nigriceps Kieffer, 1909; I. nigriceps Kieffer, 1911; I. pallida Ashmead, 1893; I. pallida Ashmead in Riley, Ashmead & Howard, 1894; Paramesius angustipennis Kieffer, 1911; P. cameroni Kieffer, 1911; Phaenopria cameroni Kieffer, 1911; P. halterata Kieffer, 1911; P. magniclavata Ashmead, 1896; Tropidopsis clavata Ashmead, 1893; T. clavata Ashmead in Riley, Ashmead & Howard, 1894. New combinations are proposed: Aneuropria bifurcata comb. nov. for Mantara bifurcata Dodd, 1920; Basalys quadridens comb. nov. for Microgalesus quadridens Kieffer, 1912; Coptera cratocerus comb. nov. for Galesus cratocerus Cameron, 1912; Coptera sexpunctata comb. nov. for Galesus sexpunctatus Ashmead, 1893; Doliopria magniclavata comb. nov. for Phaenopria magniclavata Ashmead, 1896; Spilomicrus aterrimus comb. nov. for Hoplopria aterrima Dodd, 1920; Spilomicrus campbellanus comb. nov. for Antarctopria campbellana Yoshimoto, 1964; Spilomicrus coelopae comb. nov. for Antarctopria coelopae Early, 1978; Spilomicrus diomedeae comb. nov. for Antarctopria diomedeae Early, 1978; Spilomicrus helosciomyzae comb. nov. for Malvina helosciomyzae Early & Horning, 1978; Spilomicrus insulae comb. nov. for Malvina insulae Early, 1980; Spilomicrus latigaster comb. nov. for Antarctopria latigaster Brues in Tillyard, 1920; Spilomicrus punctatus comb. nov. for Malvina punctata Cameron, 1889; Spilomicrus rekohua comb. nov. for Antarctopria rekohua Early, 1978; Trichopria bouceki comb. nov. for Oxypria bouceki Masner, 1959; Trichopria nigriceps comb. nov. for Tropidopria nigriceps Ashmead in Riley, Ashmead & Howard, 1894; Trichopria nigriceps comb. nov. for Xyalopria nigriceps Kieffer, 1907; Trichopria spinosiceps comb. nov. for Acidopria spinosiceps Dodd, 1920; Trichopria walkeri comb. nov. for Diapria walkeri Dalla Torre, 1890. New replacement names are proposed: Coptera mosselensis nom. nov. for C. nigricornis Nixon, 1930 preocc.; Coptera pijiguaorum nom. nov. for C. sexpunctata Montilla & García, 2008 preocc.; Spilomicrus kozlovi nom. nov. for S. punctatus Kozlov, 1978 preocc.; Trichopria fluminis nom. nov. for T. nigriceps (Kieffer, 1907) preocc.; T. thermarum nom. nov. for T. nigriceps (Kieffer, 1913) preocc. New specific synonyms are proposed: Basalys cursitans (Kieffer, 1911) = B. pedisequa (Kieffer, 1911) syn. nov. (the former removed from synonymy with B. parvus Thomson, 1858); B. iphicla Nixon, 1980 = B. macroptera (Kieffer, 1911) syn. nov.; Coptera bipunctata (Ashmead in Riley, Ashmead & Howard, 1894) = C. sexpunctata (Ashmead, 1893) syn. nov.; Idiotypa nigriceps Kieffer, 1911 = I. nigriceps Kieffer, 1909 syn. nov.; I. pallida Ashmead in Riley, Ashmead & Howard, 1894 = I. pallida Ashmead, 1893 syn. nov.; Psilus nigricornis (Kieffer, 1911) = P. fuscipennis (Curtis, 1831) syn. nov.; P. walkeri (Kieffer, 1907) = P. fuscipennis (Curtis, 1831) syn. nov.; T. bouceki (Masner, 1959) = T. conotoma (Kieffer, 1911) syn. nov.; Trichopria halterata (Kieffer, 1911) = T. halterata (Kieffer, 1909) syn. nov. New generic synonyms are proposed: Antarctopria Brues in Tillyard, 1920 = Spilomicrus Westwood, 1832 syn. nov.; Malvina Cameron, 1889 = Spilomicrus Westwood, 1832 syn. nov.; Mantara Dodd, 1920 = Aneuropria Kieffer, 1905 syn. nov.; Microgalesus Kieffer, 1912 = Basalys Westwood, 1833 syn. nov.; Xyalopria Kieffer, 1907 = Trichopria Ashmead, 1893 syn. nov. (Xyalopria is removed from synonymy with Megaplastopria Ashmead, 1903). A brief account of some aspects of the history of these types is given

Optimal Wind Bidding Strategies in Day-Ahead Markets

This paper presents a computer application for wind energy bidding in a day-ahead electricity market to better accommodate the variability of the energy source. The computer application is based in a stochastic linear mathematical programming problem. The goal is to obtain the optimal bidding strategy in order to maximize the revenue. Electricity prices and financial penalties for shortfall or surplus energy deliver are modeled. Finally, conclusions are drawn from an illustrative case study, using data from the day-ahead electricity market of the Iberian Peninsula

Structure and composition of tritrophic communities associated with Fagaceae-feeding cynipid gallwasps in Sichuan, China

We provide the first description and analysis of species-rich communities of Fagaceae host plants, cynipid gall inducers and Hymenopteran parasitoids from two sites in western Sichuan, China. We use quantified interaction data to test the hypothesis that metabolically intimate cynipid-Fagaceae interactions are more specialised, resulting in more modular networks and stronger signatures of turnover than nestedness for beta diversity, than associations between parasitoids and Fagaceae. Rearing of nearly 27,000 cynipid gall specimens from 22 host plant species in Castanea, Castanopsis, Lithocarpus and Quercus (sections Cerris, Cyclobalanopsis, Ilex and Quercus) yielded 168 morphologically distinct cynipid gall morphotypes, and 3800 parasitoids in 67 morphospecies. The Sichuan parasitoid assemblage is similar in composition to cynipid-centred communities in the Western Palearctic and Nearctic. All of our predictions were confirmed. We discuss our findings in light of the processes thought to structure tritrophic interactions centred on gall inducing insect herbivores

First large-scale quantification study of DNA preservation in insects from natural history collections using genome-wide sequencing

Insect declines are a global issue with significant ecological and economic ramifications. Yet, we have a poor understanding of the genomic impact these losses can have. Genome-wide data from historical specimens have the potential to provide baselines of population genetic measures to study population change, with natural history collections representing large repositories of such specimens. However, an initial challenge in conducting historical DNA data analyses is to understand how molecular preservation varies between specimens. Here, we highlight how Next-Generation Sequencing methods developed for studying archaeological samples can be applied to determine DNA preservation from only a single leg taken from entomological museum specimens, some of which are more than a century old. An analysis of genome-wide data from a set of 113 red-tailed bumblebee Bombus lapidarius specimens, from five British museum collections, was used to quantify DNA preservation over time. Additionally, to improve our analysis and further enable future research, we generated a novel assembly of the red-tailed bumblebee genome. Our approach shows that museum entomological specimens are comprised of short DNA fragments with mean lengths below 100 base pairs (BP), suggesting a rapid and large-scale post-mortem reduction in DNA fragment size. After this initial decline, however, we find a relatively consistent rate of DNA decay in our dataset, and estimate a mean reduction in fragment length of 1.9 bp per decade. The proportion of quality filtered reads mapping to our assembled reference genome was around 50%, and decreased by 1.1% per decade. We demonstrate that historical insects have significant potential to act as sources of DNA to create valuable genetic baselines. The relatively consistent rate of DNA degradation, both across collections and through time, mean that population-level analyses—for example for conservation or evolutionary studies—are entirely feasible, as long as the degraded nature of DNA is accounted for

Renewable, ethical? Assessing the energy justice potential of renewable electricity

Energy justice is increasingly being used as a framework to conceptualize the impacts of energy decision making in more holistic ways and to consider the social implications in terms of existing ethical values. Similarly, renewable energy technologies are increasingly being promoted for their environmental and social benefits. However, little work has been done to systematically examine the extent to which, in what ways and in what contexts, renewable energy technologies can contribute to achieving energy justice. This paper assesses the potential of renewable electricity technologies to address energy justice in various global contexts via a systematic review of existing studies analyzed in terms of the principles and dimensions of energy justice. Based on publications including peer reviewed academic literature, books, and in some cases reports by government or international organizations, we assess renewable electricity technologies in both grid integrated and off-grid use contexts. We conduct our investigation through the rubric of the affirmative and prohibitive principles of energy justice and in terms of its temporal, geographic, socio-political, economic, and technological dimensions. Renewable electricity technology development has and continue to have different impacts in different social contexts, and by considering the different impacts explicitly across global contexts, including differences between rural and urban contexts, this paper contributes to identifying and understanding how, in what ways, and in what particular conditions and circumstances renewable electricity technologies may correspond with or work to promote energy justice

Platygaster diplosisae Risbec 1956

Platygaster diplosisae Risbec, 1956 a: 109, figs 5 b–f. Syntypes Ƥ(Ƥ); 3 (3), Cameroun, Garoua; syntypes Ƥ(Ƥ); 3 (3), Cameroun, Pouss (all lost). Remarks. Twenty-one specimens on three microscope slides were found in the MNHN labelled by Risbec as Platygaster pachydiplosisae, however they are not types as the labels differed in significant details from those mentioned in the original description of Platygaster diplosisae. (P. pachydiplosisae is an incorrect subsequent spelling by Risbec (1956 b) of P. diplosisae as is clear from his reference to the paper containing the earlier name). This material is noted here since, in the absence of any type material, it may be useful in the interpretation of this species. According to a manuscript list compiled by A. Dramé in 1991 and held by the MNHN, the collection of IFAN (l’Institut fondamental d’Afrique Noire Cheikh Anta Diop, Dakar) also contains material identified as P. pachydiplosisae which may assist in the interpretation of this species. Heinrichs and Barrion (2004) considered P. diplosisae to be a synonym of P. oryzae Cameron, 1891, however from the examination of the material in MNHN and BMNH, there is significant morphological variation which suggests they are separate species.Published as part of Notton, David G., 2010, A catalogue of the types of Platygastridae (Hymenoptera, Platygastroidea) at the Muséum national d'Histoire naturelle, Paris, with brief notes on the history of the collection, pp. 1-24 in Zootaxa 2358 on page 12, DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.27568