Ichneumonidae (Hymenoptera) associated with xyelid sawflies (Hymenoptera, Xyelidae) in Mexico

Se describen dos especies de Ichneumonidae, Gelanes horstmanni Khalaim, sp. n. (Tersilochinae) e Idiogramma elbakyanae Khalaim sp. n. (Tryphoninae), de un bosque de pinos a 2800–2900 msnm en el Estado de Tlaxcala en la zona central de México; una tercera especie, I. comstockii (Ashmead), se reporta del Estado de Nuevo León en el noreste de México. Los géneros Gelanes Horstmann e Idiogramma Förster están asociados con moscas sierra xyélidas (Xyelidae), ambos géneros y la tribu Idiogrammatini de la subfamilia Tryphoninae se reportan para México por primera vez. Se elaboró una clave para la identificación de las dos especies de Idiogramma que ocurren en México. ABSTRACT Two species of ichneumon wasps (Ichneumonidae), Gelanes horstmanni Khalaim, sp. n. (Tersilochinae) and Idiogramma elbakyanae Khalaim sp. n. (Tryphoninae), are described from the pine forest at 2800– 2900 m from the State of Tlaxcala in Central Mexico; a third species, I. comstockii (Ashmead), is found to occur in the State of Nuevo León in Northeast Mexico. The genera Gelanes Horstmann and Idiogramma Förster are associated with xyelid sawflies (Xyelidae), and both, as well as the tryphonine tribe Idiogrammatini, are recorded from Mexico for the first time. An identification key to the two Idiogramma species occurring in Mexico is provided

First record of the genus Phradis Förster (Hymenoptera, Ichneumonidae, Tersilochinae) from the Neotropical Region

One new species of the genus Phradis, Phradis peruvianus sp. n., from the mountainous part of Peruvian Amazonia, is described and illustrated. This is the first record of the genus from South America and the Neotropical region.This work was supported by the Russian Foundation for Basic Research (No. 10-04-00265), by the Presidium of the Russian Academy of Sciences Programme “Origin and Evolution of Biosphere, Subprogram II”, and by Project A/013484/07 from Agencia Española de Cooperación Internacional para el Desarrollo (Ministerio de Asuntos Exteriores y de Cooperación, Spain). A research visit made by the second author to the Universidad Nacional Agraria la Molina (Lima, Peru), was supported by a grant from University of Alicante, Spain (Vicerrectorado de Relaciones Internacionales y Cooperación, Programa Propio para el Fomento de las Relaciones Institucionales, 2010)

First record of Sathropterus pumilus (Holmgren) (Hymenoptera: Ichneumonidae: Tersilochinae) from Mexico

Primer registro de Sathropterus pumilus (Holmgren) (Hymenoptera: Ichneumonidae: Tersilochinae) para México. Acta Zoológica Mexicana (n. s.), 31(1): 141-142

Parasitoids (Hymenoptera) of leaf-spinning moths (Lepidoptera) feeding on Vaccinium uliginosum L. along an ecological gradient in central European peat bogs

Parasitoids of leaf-spinning Lepidoptera associated with two isolated central European peat bogs were investigated. Five families of parasitoid Hymenoptera (Braconidae, lchneumonidae, Eulophidae, Pteromalidae and Encyrtidae) were recorded. Three categories were recognised: (1) primary parasitoids, (2) facultative hyperparasitoids and (3) obligatory hyperparasitoids. Ten species of Braconidae, five species and seven marked morphospecies among lchneumonidae, and three species of Chalcidoidea were identified. Despite of some niche-specific (but less host-specific) parasitoids, all these hymenopterans are likely to be generalists and none of them were confirmed to be habitat and/or host specialists. Unlike their eurytopic (opportunistic tyrphoneutral) parasitoids, the Lepidoptera hosts associated with peat bogs are partially highly stenotopic (tyrphobionts and tyrphophiles). The occurrence of parasitoids compared to their potential hosts was structured along an ecological (mesoclimatic) gradient, so most parasitoids were recorded from margins while stenotopic (narrow habitat adaptation) moths were mostly distributed near the centre of the bog habitat

Taxonomy of the genus Peucobius Townes (Hymenoptera, Ichneumonidae, Sisyrostolinae)

The genus Peucobius Townes previously comprised two species occurring in the Nearctic region: P. fulvus Townes and P. piceus Townes. In the current study we revise this genus, transfer it to the subfamily Sisyrostolinae (comb. nov.), and describe two new species – P. bennetti Khalaim & Ruíz-Cancino, sp. nov. from Central Mexico and P. shimizui Khalaim, sp. nov. from Japan. The genus Lygurus Kasparyan occurring in Russian Far East and Taiwan is morphologically similar to Peucobius; characters for distinguishing these two genera are provided for the first time with the use of colour photographs. Identification keys to four world species of Peucobius, and to species of Lygurus and Peucobius occurring in the East Palaearctic region, are provided. We suggest that species of Peucobius are associated with xyelid sawflies (Xyelidae) whose larvae feed in staminate pine cones

Biodiversidad de Ichneumonidae (Hymenoptera) en México

ResumenLos ichneumónidos integran la familia con mayor diversidad de especies en el orden Hymenoptera y una de las más diversas en la clase Insecta. Para México se registran 1 291 especies (5.3% del total mundial) de 300 géneros y 28 subfamilias, con 43 géneros por identificar sus especies, para un total de 343 géneros. Se estiman entre 3 215 y 4 544 especies para el país, considerando la necesidad de más estudios en las regiones norte, centro, occidente y sureste. El 59% (760) de las especies son neotropicales, el 29% (371) son neotropicales y neárticas, el 10% (127) son neárticas y el 2% restante (33) tiene otra distribución. De momento, 45% (580) de las especies se consideran endémicas, situación que se debe a la descripción reciente de muchas especies nuevas y a la falta de más estudios en Centroamérica (excepto Costa Rica).AbstractIchneumonids form the family with more diversity of species in the Order Hymenoptera and one of the more diverse families in the Class Insecta. For Mexico, 1 291 species (5.3% of the world’s total) from 300 genera and 28 subfamilies are recorded; from 43 genera the species have not been identifies, for a total of 343 genera. Between 3 215 and 4 534 species are estimated for the country, considering the necessity of consistent studies in the north, central, western and southeastern regions. Fifty nine percent (760) of the species are Neotropical, 29% (371) are Neotropical and Nearctic, 10% (127) are Nearctic, and the remaining 2% (33) have other affinities. At the moment, 45% (580) of the species are considered endemics but this is because of the recent description of many new species and the necessity of more studies in Central America (except Costa Rica)

Registro de Diradops bionica Ugalde y Gauld, 2002 (Hymenoptera: Ichneumonidae: Banchinae) para México y de otras dos especies para Oaxaca

Diradops is an endemic genus of the family Ichneumonidae in the American Continent; the majority of its species in the Neotropical Region. Seven species are present in Mexico, including a new record for Mexico, D. bionica Ugalde & Gauld, 2002 (previously recorded only from Costa Rica); D. hyphantriae Kasparyan & Pinson, 2007 and D. pulcher Kasparyan, 2007 are new records for the State of Oaxaca

Darwin wasps: a new name heralds renewed efforts to unravel the evolutionary history of Ichneumonidae

The parasitoid wasp family Ichneumonidae is arguably one of the groups for which current knowledge lags most strongly behind their enormous diversity. In a five-day meeting in Basel (Switzerland) in June 2019, 22 researchers from 14 countries met to discuss the most important issues in ichneumonid research, including increasing the speed of species discovery, resolving higher-level relationships, and studying the radiation of these parasitoids onto various host groups through time. All agreed that it is time to advertise ichneumonid research more broadly and thereby attract young talents to this group for which specialists are sorely lacking, as well as increase public awareness about their exciting biology and ecological impact. In order to popularize the group, we here suggest a new vernacular name for the family, “Darwin wasps”, to reflect the pivotal role they played in convincing Charles Darwin that not all of creation could have been created by a benevolent god. We hope that the name catches on, and that Darwin wasps start buzzing more loudly across all disciplines of biology