Description of Synergus castaneus n. sp. (Hymenoptera: Cynipidae: Synergini) Associated with an Unknown Gall on Castanea spp. (Fagaceae) in China

Abstract A species of the tribe Synergini (Hymenoptera: Cynipidae) was reared from a gall collected in China on Castanea mollissima Blume and Castanea seguinii Dode. The morphological features of this gall wasp indicate that it is an undescribed species belonging to the genus Synergus and is herein described as a new species, Synergus castaneus Pujade-Villar, Bernardo et Viggiani sp. nov. (Hymenoptera Cynipidae: Synergini). This is the first known instance of a species of Synergus emerging from Castanea galls (Fagaceae). Data on the diagnosis, distribution, and biology of the new species are given. Morphological features of this species are discussed and illustrated. No other known gall-inducing species emerged from the collected galls, whereas tens of specimens of parasitoids and adults of the inquiline micromoth Andrioplecta pulverula Meyrick (Lepidoptera: Tortricidae) did. 28S-D2 and COI sequences confirmed that S. castaneus is a distinct species belonging to the genus Synergus

The Chalcidoidea bush of life: evolutionary history of a massive radiation of minute wasps.

Chalcidoidea are mostly parasitoid wasps that include as many as 500 000 estimated species. Capturing phylogenetic signal from such a massive radiation can be daunting. Chalcidoidea is an excellent example of a hyperdiverse group that has remained recalcitrant to phylogenetic resolution. We combined 1007 exons obtained with Anchored Hybrid Enrichment with 1048 ultra-conserved elements (UCEs) for 433 taxa including all extant families, >95% of all subfamilies, and 356 genera chosen to represent the vast diversity of the superfamily. Going back and forth between the molecular results and our collective knowledge of morphology and biology, we detected bias in the analyses that was driven by the saturation of nucleotide data. Our final results are based on a concatenated analysis of the least saturated exons and UCE datasets (2054 loci, 284 106 sites). Our analyses support an expected sister relationship with Mymarommatoidea. Seven previously recognized families were not monophyletic, so support for a new classification is discussed. Natural history in some cases would appear to be more informative than morphology, as illustrated by the elucidation of a clade of plant gall associates and a clade of taxa with planidial first-instar larvae. The phylogeny suggests a transition from smaller soft-bodied wasps to larger and more heavily sclerotized wasps, with egg parasitism as potentially ancestral for the entire superfamily. Deep divergences in Chalcidoidea coincide with an increase in insect families in the fossil record, and an early shift to phytophagy corresponds with the beginning of the "Angiosperm Terrestrial Revolution". Our dating analyses suggest a middle Jurassic origin of 174 Ma (167.3-180.5 Ma) and a crown age of 162.2 Ma (153.9-169.8 Ma) for Chalcidoidea. During the Cretaceous, Chalcidoidea may have undergone a rapid radiation in southern Gondwana with subsequent dispersals to the Northern Hemisphere. This scenario is discussed with regard to knowledge about the host taxa of chalcid wasps, their fossil record and Earth's palaeogeographic history

Temporal and spatial variations in the parasitoid complex of the horse chestnut leafminer during its invasion of Europe

The enemy release hypothesis posits that the initial success of invasive species depends on the scarcity and poor adaptation of native natural enemies such as predators and parasitoids. As for parasitoids, invading hosts are first attacked at low rates by a species-poor complex of mainly generalist species. Over the years, however, parasitoid richness may increase either because the invading host continuously encounters new parasitoid species during its spread (geographic spread-hypothesis) or because local parasitoids need different periods of time to adapt to the novel host (adjustment-hypothesis). Both scenarios should result in a continuous increase of parasitoid richness over time. In this study, we reconstructed the development of the hymenopteran parasitoid complex of the invasive leafminer Cameraria ohridella (Lepidoptera, Gracillariidae). Our results show that the overall parasitism rate increases as a function of host residence time as well as geographic and climatic factors, altogether reflecting the historic spread of C. ohridella. The same variables also explain the individual parasitism rates of several species in the parasitoid complex, but fail to explain the abundance of others. Evidence supporting the “geographic spread-hypothesis” was found in the parasitism pattern of Cirrospilus talitzkii (Hymenoptera, Eulophidae), while that of Pediobius saulius, another eulophid, indicated an increase of parasitism rates by behavioral, phenological or biological adjustments. Compared to fully integrated host-parasitoid associations, however, parasitism rates of C. ohridella are still very low. In addition, the parasitoid complex lacks specialists, provided that the species determined are valid and not complexes of cryptic (and presumably more specialized) species. Probably, the adjustment of specialist parasitoids requires more than a few decades, particularly to invaders which establish in ecological niches free of native hosts, thus eliminating any possibility of recruitment of pre-adapted parasitoids

Revision and phylogeny of the European species of the Eurytoma morio species group (Hymenoptera: Eurytomidae), parasitoids of bark and wood boring beetles.

A revision of Eurytoma (Hymenoptera, Eurytomidae) species belonging to the morio group is proposed. Species discrimination is based on morphological and, partly, on molecular data, including the barcoding fragment of the mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase subunit I (COI) gene and the D2 expansion region of the 28S ribosomal gene. Morphological and molecular phylogenetic analyses largely support the morphological evidence. Eurytoma cristata Delvare sp. nov., Eurytoma saliphila Delvare sp. nov., and Eurytoma sylviae Delvare sp. nov. are described from France, Eurytoma ithma Delvare sp. nov. is described from France and Italy, and Eurytoma gatesi Delvare sp. nov. is described from North America and France. Decatomidea polygraphi Ashmead, 1894 and Ipideurytoma spessivtsevi Bouček & Novicky, 1954 are synonymized with Eurytoma afra Boheman, 1836. Eurytoma auricoma Mayr, 1878 is removed from synonymy with Eurytoma arctica Thomson, 1875 and is synonymized with Eurytoma maura Boheman, 1836. Eurytoma eccoptogastri Ratzeburg, 1844, Eurytoma flavoscapularis Ratzeburg, 1844, Eurytoma flavovaria Ratzeburg, 1844, and Eurytoma masii var. flavonigra Russo, 1938 are synonymized with Eurytoma morio Boheman, 1836. Eurytoma masii Russo, 1925 and Eurytoma kemalpasensis Narendran, Tezcan & Civelek, 1995 are synonymized with Eurytoma striolata Ratzeburg, 1848. Eurytoma melanoneura Walker, 1871 and E. masii are removed from synonymy with E. morio. Lectotypes are designated for E. afra, E. auricoma, E. masii, Decatoma aloisifilippoi Russo, 1938, and E. masii var. flavonigra

Rickettsia Symbionts Cause Parthenogenetic Reproduction in the Parasitoid Wasp Pnigalio soemius (Hymenoptera: Eulophidae)▿

Bacteria in the genus Rickettsia are intracellular symbionts of disparate groups of organisms. Some Rickettsia strains infect vertebrate animals and plants, where they cause diseases, but most strains are vertically inherited symbionts of invertebrates. In insects Rickettsia symbionts are known to have diverse effects on hosts ranging from influencing host fitness to manipulating reproduction. Here we provide evidence that a Rickettsia symbiont causes thelytokous parthenogenesis (in which mothers produce only daughters from unfertilized eggs) in a parasitoid wasp, Pnigalio soemius (Hymenoptera: Eulophidae). Feeding antibiotics to thelytokous female wasps resulted in production of progeny that were almost all males. Cloning and sequencing of a fragment of the 16S rRNA gene amplified with universal primers, diagnostic PCR screening of symbiont lineages associated with manipulation of reproduction, and fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) revealed that Rickettsia is always associated with thelytokous P. soemius and that no other bacteria that manipulate reproduction are present. Molecular analyses and FISH showed that Rickettsia is distributed in the reproductive tissues and is transovarially transmitted from mothers to offspring. Comparison of antibiotic-treated females and untreated females showed that infection had no cost. Phylogenetic analyses of 16S rRNA and gltA gene sequences placed the symbiont of P. soemius in the bellii group and indicated that there have been two separate origins of the parthenogenesis-inducing phenotype in the genus Rickettsia. A possible route for evolution of induction of parthenogenesis in the two distantly related Rickettsia lineages is discussed

Impact of bokashi fermentation on life-history traits of black soldier fly Hermetia illucens (Diptera: Stratiomyidae) larvae at an industrial scale

Larvae of the black soldier fly Hermetia illucens (Diptera: Stratiomyidae) (BSFL) are increasingly used in a circular economy context for industrial production of protein, oil, and frass, while serving as a sustainable method for managing numerous types of organic waste. On both fronts, there are ongoing efforts to optimise feedstocks for increased larval performance, yields of protein and/or oil, and efficiency of volumetric reduction of waste. Fermentation of organic waste prior to providing it to BSFL can help accomplish both goals. A few studies have individually evaluated fermenting agents such as lactic acid bacteria, yeasts, and fungi, showing that they can improve BSFL digestion of biowaste. However, the potential of co-fermentation by multiple microbes to improve waste digestion by BSFL has not been well explored. Here we tested a type of anaerobic fermentation, known as bokashi, that simultaneously uses lactic acid bacteria, yeasts, and fungi, on a common nutritious industrial feedstock (brewery’s spent grains) and on a nutritionally poor agricultural waste (unharvested oranges) on resulting life-history traits of BSFL. We show that bokashi-fermented substrates increased BSFL biomass and growth rate on both feeding substrates and dramatically reduced BSFL development duration on the nutritionally challenging oranges. Besides this, BSFL reared on fermented industrial feedstock reached the peak weight a day earlier, on average, than those feeding on the same unfermented substrate. Collectively, these effects would be beneficial for industrial BSF farming. We also highlight research areas to be tackled before bokashi fermentation can become widely adopted by the BSF farming sector