Aphid-Parasitoid (Insecta) Diversity and Trophic Interactions in South Dakota

Parasitoid wasps of the subfamily Aphidiinae (Hymenoptera: Braconidae) specialize on aphids (Hemiptera: Aphididae) as hosts. The diversity of known and probable aphidiine wasps from South Dakota is itemized, with representation by 13 genera and 42 species, 43% of which are probably adventitious. The wasps and aphids are central to various combinations of multitrophic relationships involving host plants and secondary parasitoids. Selected native and introduced aphid host taxa were quantitatively and qualitatively collected from diverse native and crop host plants in eastern South Dakota and western Iowa. Wasps were reared to confirm plant association, host aphid association, taxonomic diversity, and native or introduced status of the wasps. Acanthocaudus tissoti (Smith) and Aphidius (Aphidius) ohioensis (Smith) were found together on the native aphid Uroleucon (Uroleucon) nigrotuberculatum (Olive), a new host aphid species for both wasps on Solidago canadensis L. (Asterales: Asteraceae). The native wasp Lysiphlebus testaceipes (Cresson) was repeatedly reared in massive numbers from mummies of invasive Aphis glycines Matsumura on soybean, Glycine max (L.) Merr. This wasp was also reared from the non-native Aphis nerii Boyer de Fonscolombe and the native Aphis asclepiadis Fitch, both on Asclepias syriaca L. The introduced wasp Binodoxys communis (Gahan) was not recovered from any Aphis glycines population. Hyperparasitoids from the genus Dendrocerus Ratzeburg (Hymenoptera: Megaspilidae), and the pteromalid (Hymenoptera: Pteromalidae) genera Asaphes Walker, and Pachyneuron Walker were reared from mummies of Uroleucon (Uroleucon) nigrotuberculatum parasitized by either Acanthocaudus tissoti or Aphidius (Aphidius) ohioensis. Hyperparasitoids of the genus Alloxysta (Hymenoptera: Figitidae) were reared from mummies of Aphis glycines and A. nerii parasitized by Lysiphlebus testaceipes

\u3cem\u3eEucosma giganteana\u3c/em\u3e (Riley) and \u3cem\u3eSliphium perfoliatum\u3c/em\u3e L., Morphological Variation in an Insect-Plant Association in Eastern South Dakota

Silphium perfoliatum L., cup plant, has potential as a new multi-purpose crop. It is pollinator-friendly and has biodiversity enhancement, conservation, economic, and medical potential. In eastern South Dakota, S. perfoliatum can produce more than 20 Mg (million grams) ha-1 of biomass and 0.09 Mg ha-1 of seed in agronomic plantings. The giant eucosma moth, Eucosma giganteana (Riley), is a major pest of agronomic S. perfoliatum in the region. We provide a summary of this insect and its association with its host. Our experimental objectives were to determine if the frequency of rhizome occupation by late instar larvae and if their final prepupal size were influenced by plant genetic or environmental effects. In October 2009, several individual plants from each of 32 half-sib families were removed from the field. Rhizomes, proaxes, and shoots were examined for the presence of larvae. Each larva was counted and measured for total length, width, thoracic tergite length, head length, and head width. Significant differences were found among half-sib families and between locations for frequency of shoot infestation, degree of crown and rhizome feeding, number of larvae per shoot, and larval morphometrics. The parasitoid Bracon cf. mellitor Say (Hymenoptera: Braconidae) was found parasitizing larvae feeding in floral meristems, but no parasitism was found in larvae in the crown or rhizomes

Seed Set and Seed-Insect Interactions in Natural and Cultivated Populations of Purple Prairie Clover

Purple prairie clover (Dalea purpurea Vent.) is a common native legume on dry prairies throughout the central USA and Canada. Seed set in natural populations can be very low, and the reason(s) are not well known. Our objectives were: 1) determine seed set in natural and cultivated populations of purple prairie clover in eastern SD, and 2) identify seed predators and parasitoids associated with natural and cultivated populations. Collection of inflorescences occurred on the South Dakota State University Oak Lake Field Station (OLFS), and from a cultivated population in McCrory Gardens at Brookings, SD. At OLFS, normal seed set was 10% compared with 60% for the McCrory Gardens population. Frequency of unfertilized ovules was about 25%, and seed predation was 55% at OLFS compared with 24% unfertilized ovules and 23% seed predation at McCrory Gardens. The most common seed predators were Kissingeria capitone (Kissinger) and an unidentified midge, Contarinia sp. (Cecidomyiidae). The bruchid beetle Acanthoscelides seminulum (Horn) had much lower seed predation rates. The most common parasitoid reared from beetle larvae was Lyrcus incertus (Ashmead). The chalcidoid wasps Baryscapus sp. and Aprostocetus marylandensis (Girault) attacked midge larvae. A few individuals of Bracon sp. and Inostemma sp., hosts unknown, were also collected from immature inflorescences. This study identified a previously unknown guild of insects associated with inflorescences in purple prairie clover and revealed reasons for a paucity of viable seed production in natural populations

A new state record of \u3ci\u3eEucera (Xenoglossa) kansensis\u3c/i\u3e (Hymenoptera: Apidae) in South Dakota, USA

Eucera (Xenoglossa) kansensis (Cockerell, 1905) (Hymenoptera: Apidae) is newly recorded for the state of South Dakota, USA. The bees were sampled predominantly with blue vane traps, and E. kansensis was associated with a wide range of habitats that did not include its primary floral resources of Cucurbita L. and Ipomoea L. Further study is warranted to determine the basis for the association of E. kansensis within the wide range of habitats in this study. The longhorn bee tribe Eucerini (Hymenoptera: Apidae) is a widespread and diverse group of solitary bees that includes important pollinators of both wild and agricultural plants (Dorchin et al. 2018). Based on revised phylo­genetic analyses, several members of the tribe were recently reduced to subgeneric rank within the genus Eucera (Dorchin et al. 2018). One of the groups subsumed into Eucera was the large squash bees of the genus Xenoglossa, now treated as a subgenus, which consists of oligoleges that collect pollen from the flowers of Cucurbita L. and Ipomoea L. (Hurd et al. 1971; Fowler 2020). Eucera (Xenoglossa) is morphologically distinct from congenerics by having a small tooth on the inner basal margin of each mandible (Hurd and Linsley 1964; Ascher and Pickering 2022). Eucera (Xenoglossa) consist of seven species distributed from Central America to the northern regions of the United States of America (USA) (Michener 2007). Two species, E. strenua (Cresson, 1878) and E. kansensis (Linnaeus, 1763), are distributed throughout much of the USA (Ascher and Pickering 2022). In this paper, we add a state new record for South Dakota to the known geographic distribution of E. kansensis (Fig. 1) within the country.

\u3ci\u3eIshtarella thailandica\u3c/i\u3e Martens, new genus, new species (Hymenoptera: Braconidae: Aphidiinae) of aphid parasitoid from Thailand, with a country checklist of Aphidiinae

Ishtarella Martens new genus (Hymenoptera: Braconidae: Aphidiinae) and I. thailandica Martens new species are described and illustrated from Doi Phu Kha National Park, Nan Province, Thailand. The genus is assigned to the tribe Aphidiini, subtribe Trioxina. Based on morphology, Ishtarella appears most closely related to Binodoxys Mackauer. An updated checklist of the aphidiine fauna of Thailand, based on published records, is presented. Parasitoid wasps in the subfamily Aphidiinae (Hymenoptera: Braconidae) comprise about 60 genera and more than 650 species worldwide (Yu et al. 2016). The Aphidiinae of Thailand were all but unknown prior to a Thai­land Inventory Group for Entomological Research (TIGER) project from 2006–2009 (Starý et al. 2008). As part of the TIGER project the Thai aphidiine fauna was surveyed using Malaise and pan traps; 20 species collectively representing 15 genera were reported from mixed deciduous or pine forests from 230 m to 2500 m above sea level (Starý et al. 2008, 2010a, 2010b). Although there are no identification keys to the Thai Aphidiinae, genus-level identifications can be made using the keys presented in Starý and Schlinger (1967), Starý and Ghosh (1983), Raychaudhuri (1990), and Chen and Shi (2001). The new genus described herein is assigned to the tribe Aphidiini, subtribe Trioxina. Females of most genera in this subtribe possess an elongate and curved ovipositor sheath and ovipositor. Additionally, females of some genera, like Binodoxys Mackauer and Trioxys Haliday, possess distinctive hypopygial prongs that are used to hold and restrain the aphid host during oviposition (Völkl and Mackauer 2000)

A Review of the Genus \u3cem\u3eAcrisis\u3c/em\u3e Foerster (Hymenoptera: Braconidae) with a New Species from American Licorice and a Survey of Aphid Parasitoids of Soybean Fields in Eastern South Dakota

The diversity of parasitoid wasps (Hymenoptera: Braconidae) in South Dakota is largely unexamined despite these wasps providing innumerable important ecological and biological services and being an essential part of natural and agricultural ecosystems. A new species of Acrisis Foerster was reared and is described from the native prairie legume Glycyrrhiza lepidota (Nuttall) Pursh, a plant studied for its potential for conservation and remediation. A large insect guild of seed predators and their associated parasitoids and hyperparasitoids reported from G. lepidota provides a list of potential hosts associated with the new parasitoid species. The agriculturally significant legume soybean, Glycine max (L.) Merrill, similarly has a large guild of pests, predators, and parasitoids, including the significant pest, soybean aphid, Aphis glycines Matsumura. A survey of aphid parasitoids (Hymenoptera: Braconidae: Aphidiinae) demonstrated a surprising diversity of species not previously recorded in soybean fields

\u3ci\u3eIshtarella thailandica\u3c/i\u3e Martens, new genus, new species (Hymenoptera: Braconidae: Aphidiinae) of aphid parasitoid from Thailand, with a country checklist of Aphidiinae

Ishtarella Martens new genus (Hymenoptera: Braconidae: Aphidiinae) and I. thailandica Martens new species are described and illustrated from Doi Phu Kha National Park, Nan Province, Thailand. The genus is assigned to the tribe Aphidiini, subtribe Trioxina. Based on morphology, Ishtarella appears most closely related to Binodoxys Mackauer. An updated checklist of the aphidiine fauna of Thailand, based on published records, is presented. Parasitoid wasps in the subfamily Aphidiinae (Hymenoptera: Braconidae) comprise about 60 genera and more than 650 species worldwide (Yu et al. 2016). The Aphidiinae of Thailand were all but unknown prior to a Thai­land Inventory Group for Entomological Research (TIGER) project from 2006–2009 (Starý et al. 2008). As part of the TIGER project the Thai aphidiine fauna was surveyed using Malaise and pan traps; 20 species collectively representing 15 genera were reported from mixed deciduous or pine forests from 230 m to 2500 m above sea level (Starý et al. 2008, 2010a, 2010b). Although there are no identification keys to the Thai Aphidiinae, genus-level identifications can be made using the keys presented in Starý and Schlinger (1967), Starý and Ghosh (1983), Raychaudhuri (1990), and Chen and Shi (2001). The new genus described herein is assigned to the tribe Aphidiini, subtribe Trioxina. Females of most genera in this subtribe possess an elongate and curved ovipositor sheath and ovipositor. Additionally, females of some genera, like Binodoxys Mackauer and Trioxys Haliday, possess distinctive hypopygial prongs that are used to hold and restrain the aphid host during oviposition (Völkl and Mackauer 2000)

A new state record of Eucera (Xenoglossa) kansensis (Hymenoptera: Apidae) in South Dakota, USA

Eucera (Xenoglossa) kansensis (Cockerell, 1905) (Hymenoptera: Apidae) is newly recorded for the state of South Dakota, USA. The bees were sampled predominantly with blue vane traps, and E. kansensis was associated with a wide range of habitats that did not include its primary floral resources of Cucurbita L. and Ipomoea L. Further study is warranted to determine the basis for the association of E. kansensis within the wide range of habitats in this study. ZooBank registration. urn:lsid:zoobank.org:pub:4504A68E-8629-4CE7-996B-1D0EA793C94

A new state record of Eucera (Xenoglossa) kansensis (Hymenoptera: Apidae) in South Dakota, USA

Hesler, Louis S., Beckendorf, Eric A., Martens, Abigail P., Johnson, Paul J. (2023): A new state record of Eucera (Xenoglossa) kansensis (Hymenoptera: Apidae) in South Dakota, USA. Insecta Mundi 2023 (985): 1-6, DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.800601