Extrapolations from field studies and known faunas converge on dramatically increased estimates of global microgastrine parasitoid wasp species richness (Hymenoptera: Braconidae)

2012 ◽  
Vol 6 (4) ◽  
pp. 530-536 ◽  
Author(s):  
Josephine J. Rodriguez ◽  
Jose L. Fernández-Triana ◽  
M. Alex Smith ◽  
Daniel H. Janzen ◽  
Winnie Hallwachs ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Species Richness ◽  
Parasitoid Wasp ◽  
Field Studies ◽  
Wasp Species

scholarly journals Variation in the diversity and richness of parasitoid wasps based on sampling effort

PeerJ ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 6 ◽  
pp. e4642 ◽  
Author(s):  
Thomas E. Saunders ◽  
Darren F. Ward
Keyword(s):  
Species Richness ◽  
Austral Summer ◽  
Parasitoid Wasp ◽  
Parasitoid Wasps ◽  
Sampling Effort ◽  
Summer Period ◽  
Wasp Species ◽  
The Cost ◽  
Number Of Individuals ◽  
The Relationship

Parasitoid wasps are a mega-diverse, ecologically dominant, but poorly studied component of global biodiversity. In order to maximise the efficiency and reduce the cost of their collection, the application of optimal sampling techniques is necessary. Two sites in Auckland, New Zealand were sampled intensively to determine the relationship between sampling effort and observed species richness of parasitoid wasps from the family Ichneumonidae. Twenty traps were deployed at each site at three different times over the austral summer period, resulting in a total sampling effort of 840 Malaise-trap-days. Rarefaction techniques and non-parametric estimators were used to predict species richness and to evaluate the variation and completeness of sampling. Despite an intensive Malaise-trapping regime over the summer period, no asymptote of species richness was reached. At best, sampling captured two-thirds of parasitoid wasp species present. The estimated total number of species present depended on the month of sampling and the statistical estimator used. Consequently, the use of fewer traps would have caught only a small proportion of all species (one trap 7–21%; two traps 13–32%), and many traps contributed little to the overall number of individuals caught. However, variation in the catch of individual Malaise traps was not explained by seasonal turnover of species, vegetation or environmental conditions surrounding the trap, or distance of traps to one another. Overall the results demonstrate that even with an intense sampling effort the community is incompletely sampled. The use of only a few traps and/or for very short periods severely limits the estimates of richness because (i) fewer individuals are caught leading to a greater number of singletons; and (ii) the considerable variation of individual traps means some traps will contribute few or no individuals. Understanding how sampling effort affects the richness and diversity of parasitoid wasps is a useful foundation for future studies.

Comparing composition and diversity of parasitoid wasps and plants in an Amazonian rain-forest mosaic

2006 ◽  
Vol 22 (2) ◽  
pp. 167-176 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ilari E. Sääksjärvi ◽  
Kalle Ruokolainen ◽  
Hanna Tuomisto ◽  
Samuli Haataja ◽  
Paul V. A. Fine ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Species Richness ◽  
Species Composition ◽  
Plant Species ◽  
Rain Forest ◽  
Parasitoid Wasp ◽  
Parasitoid Wasps ◽  
Lowland Rain Forest ◽  
Wasp Species ◽  
Weak Support ◽  
Forest Mosaic

Local species richness and between-site similarity in species composition of parasitoid wasps (Hymenoptera: Ichneumonidae; Pimplinae and Rhyssinae) were correlated with those of four plant groups (pteridophytes, Melastomataceae, Burseraceae and Arecaceae) in a western Amazonian lowland rain forest mosaic. The mosaic structure of the forest was related to variation in soils within the non-inundated terrain. Significant matrix correlation between patterns in parasitoid wasp species composition and plant species composition was found. Most of the overall correlation was due to idiobiont parasitoids of weakly concealed hosts, which attack host larvae and pupae in exposed situations, with two of the four ecologically defined parasitoid groups showing no correlation at all. A positive correlation between the number of plant species and the number of Pimplinae and Rhyssinae species at a site was found when the latter was corrected for collecting effort. Consequently, the degree of floristic difference between sites may be indicative of the difference in species composition of ichneumonids, and the species richness of plants may serve as a predictor of the species richness of parasitoid wasps. Although these results were obtained in a mosaic including structurally and floristically clearly different types of rain forest, the correlation coefficients were relatively low, and the present results lend only weak support to the idea of using plant distributions as indicators of animal distributions.

scholarly journals Optimising Capture Methods for the Evaluation of Parasitoid Wasp Diversity

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Thomas Edward Saunders
Keyword(s):  
Species Richness ◽  
New Species ◽  
New Zealand ◽  
Parasitoid Wasp ◽  
Parasitoid Wasps ◽  
Sampling Effort ◽  
Optimal Sampling ◽  
Wasp Species ◽  
Use Of Resources ◽  
The Relationship

Parasitoid wasps are mega-diverse, ecologically dominant, but poorly studied components of global biodiversity. Despite their intensive application within pest management as biocontrol agents, little is known about native species. To understand their basic biology they must be collected in sampling programs. However, invertebrate surveys are increasingly subject to funding and time constraints that often preclude complete faunal inventories. In order to maximise the efficiency and reduce the cost of their collection, the application of optimal sampling techniques within a Rapid Biodiversity Assessment framework is proposed. Two sites in the Waitakere Ranges were sampled three times over the summer. An intensive sampling effort of 840 Malaise-trap-days over a three month period was used to determine the relationship between sampling effort and observed species richness. Rarefaction techniques and non-parametric estimators were used to predict true species richness and to evaluate the completeness of sampling. Results show that an intensive Malaise-trapping regime over the summer can capture two-thirds of parasitoid wasp species present. Sampling recommendations are provided to guide optimal usage of Malaise traps for both ecological studies and faunal inventories. Modern taxonomic methods are reviewed and a new species of parasitoid wasp is described, representing the first New Zealand species from the genus Lusius (Ichneumonidae: Ichneumoninae). Morphological measurements confirm the new species represents a significant range expansion for the genus. Greater collaboration between ecologists and taxonomists is encouraged, in order to make more efficient use of resources, data, and expertise unique to each discipline. This is the first study to investigate the relationship between sampling effort and parasitoid wasp diversity in New Zealand. It shows that very high sampling effort fails to catch all species present. Parasitoid wasps are known to be keystone species that show promise as indicators of environmental quality and as surrogates for the diversity of other taxa. The development of optimal sampling strategies will therefore provide an important foundation for their future study.

scholarly journals Parasitoid Wasp Community Dynamics in Vineyards Following Insecticide Application

2022 ◽  
Vol 9 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bracha Schindler ◽  
Efrat Gavish-Regev ◽  
Tamar Keasar
Keyword(s):  
Species Richness ◽  
Community Dynamics ◽  
Natural Habitat ◽  
Parasitoid Wasp ◽  
Abundant Species ◽  
Natural Areas ◽  
Natural Area ◽  
Sticky Traps ◽  
Wasp Species ◽  
Center Edge

In order to integrate parasitoid wasps in agroecosystems as biological control agents, we need to understand how insecticides affect the parasitoids in the crops and their surroundings. We investigated the non-target effect of Indoxacarb, an insecticide commonly used against European grapevine moth, on parasitoid wasp communities in vineyards. We focused on characterizing: 1. The dynamics of common wasp species, and 2. Wasp abundance and species richness in the vineyard center, edge, and nearby natural area. Seven vineyards, with neighboring natural areas, were sampled before, and up to 2 weeks after, Indoxacarb applications over 2 years. We expected initial negative effects of spraying in the vineyard with some effect of Indoxacarb drift into the natural habitat, followed by wasp recovery, first in natural areas, then at the vineyard edge and finally in the center. Sticky traps were hung at the vineyard edge and center to evaluate migration into and out of the vineyard. Vacuum sampling was used to obtain parasitoid total abundance and species richness, and the abundances of four common species (43% of the wasps collected). From the vacuum samples we found that total wasp abundance and richness declined after spraying in the vineyards’ margins and center but rose over time in the natural area. Vineyard wasp abundance was restored to pre-spraying levels within 2 weeks. Among the abundant species, Trichogramma sp. and Telenomus sp., which parasitize lepidopteran hosts, declined after spraying, and Trichogramma sp. recovered more quickly than Telenomus sp. Two other abundant species, Lymaenon litoralis and Oligosita sp., did not decline after spraying. In the sticky traps, wasp abundance increased at the vineyard edge but not center after spraying, suggesting that there was migration of wasps at the vineyard edge, into or out of the crop. The results indicate an effect of Indoxacarb on the parasitoid wasp community, particularly on parasitoids of lepidopterans, the target group of Indoxacarb. The results also indicate a potential for recovery of the parasitoid community through migration from neighboring natural vegetation.

scholarly journals Sight of parasitoid wasps accelerates sexual behavior and upregulates a micropeptide gene in Drosophila

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Shimaa A. M. Ebrahim ◽  
Gaëlle J. S. Talross ◽  
John R. Carlson
Keyword(s):  
Gene Expression ◽  
Nervous System ◽  
Sexual Behavior ◽  
Behavioral Response ◽  
Mutational Analysis ◽  
Parasitoid Wasp ◽  
Parasitoid Wasps ◽  
Wasp Species ◽  
Defensive Responses ◽  
Vast Range

AbstractParasitoid wasps inflict widespread death upon the insect world. Hundreds of thousands of parasitoid wasp species kill a vast range of insect species. Insects have evolved defensive responses to the threat of wasps, some cellular and some behavioral. Here we find an unexpected response of adult Drosophila to the presence of certain parasitoid wasps: accelerated mating behavior. Flies exposed to certain wasp species begin mating more quickly. The effect is mediated via changes in the behavior of the female fly and depends on visual perception. The sight of wasps induces the dramatic upregulation in the fly nervous system of a gene that encodes a 41-amino acid micropeptide. Mutational analysis reveals that the gene is essential to the behavioral response of the fly. Our work provides a foundation for further exploration of how the activation of visual circuits by the sight of a wasp alters both sexual behavior and gene expression.

A new species of Hexacola Foerster (Hymenoptera: Figitidae), parasitoid of Lemnaphila neotropica Lizarralde de Grosso (Diptera: Ephydridae)

Zootaxa ◽  
2010 ◽  
Vol 2622 (1) ◽  
pp. 42 ◽  
Author(s):  
ANA L. GADDI ◽  
NORMA B. DÍAZ ◽  
FABIANA E. GALLARDO
Keyword(s):  
New Species ◽  
Buenos Aires ◽  
Parasitoid Wasp ◽  
Economic Importance ◽  
Wasp Species ◽  
Diagnostic Characters ◽  
La Plata ◽  
Shore Fly ◽  
A New Species

A new parasitoid wasp species, the eucoiline Hexacola lemnaphilae Gaddi & Díaz, is described. Specimens were reared from pupae of Lemnaphila neotropica Lizarralde de Grosso (Diptera: Ephydridae), a shore fly that mines least duckweed, Lemna minuta Kunth (Lemnaceae); the material examined was collected in Berisso (Buenos Aires, Argentina) and is housed in the collection of the División Entomología of the Museo de La Plata, Argentina. Photographs of diagnostic characters and data about the ecological and economic importance of these organisms are included.

scholarly journals Behavioural and transcriptional changes in post-mating females of an egg parasitoid wasp species

2019 ◽  
Vol 6 (1) ◽  
pp. 181453 ◽  
Author(s):  
Peng-Cheng Liu ◽  
De-Jun Hao
Keyword(s):  
Parasitoid Wasp ◽  
Acid Synthesis ◽  
Egg Parasitoid ◽  
Transcriptional Analysis ◽  
Physiological Changes ◽  
Wasp Species ◽  
Egg Maturation ◽  
Transcriptional Changes ◽  
Upregulated Genes ◽  
Substance Transport

In many animals, mating is essential for the production of offspring by females; however, mating seems to not be necessary in Hymenoptera insects. Virgin females can produce offspring, although the sex of the offspring is all male. Usually, behavioural and physiological changes are induced by mating in female insects, including parasitoid wasps. However, very little is known about the resulting changes in gene expression that contribute to the post-mating response in females; thus, we studied this aspect in the egg parasitoid wasp species Anastatus disparis (Hymenoptera: Eupelmidae) by transcriptional analysis. A total of 55 differentially expressed genes were identified in post-mating females, and most of the genes (90.9%) were downregulated. Upregulated genes encoded products that were mainly involved in fatty acid synthesis and pyrimidine metabolism, while the downregulated genes were mainly involved in substance transport and metabolism. In addition, post-mating A. disparis females exhibited a tendency to accelerate egg maturation and became unreceptive to further mating. Based on the transcriptional data, we discuss how specific genes mediate these behavioural and physiological changes. Overall, our study provided new and comprehensive insights into post-mating changes in females and provided a basis for future mechanistic studies.

Octopamine-like immunoreactivity in the brain and suboesophageal ganglion of two parasitic wasps, Cotesia glomerata and Cotesia rubecula

2006 ◽  
Vol 56 (2) ◽  
pp. 247-257 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hans Smid ◽  
Brenda van der Zee ◽  
Maartje Bleeker
Keyword(s):  
Learning And Memory ◽  
Parasitoid Wasp ◽  
Staining Intensity ◽  
Cotesia Glomerata ◽  
Mushroom Bodies ◽  
Suboesophageal Ganglion ◽  
Wasp Species ◽  
Labelling Intensity ◽  
Protocerebral Bridge ◽  
The Brain

AbstractTwo closely related parasitoid wasp species, Cotesia glomerata L. and C. rubecula Marshall (Hymenoptera: Braconidae), differ in their display of associative learning and memory during host searching. As octopamine is involved in learning and memory in insects we investigated octopaminergic pathways in the brain and suboesophageal ganglion (SOG) of the two wasps. We used an anti-octopamine antibody and subsequent whole mount analysis using a confocal laserscanning microscope and pertinent software. Three groups of octopaminergic cells were located in the brain and suboesophageal ganglion. One group was located near the antennal lobes and consisted of six to eight cell bodies. A second group was located ventrally in the SOG and was most likely formed by ventral unpaired median (VUM) and VCBN (ventral cell body neurite) neurons. A third group was located in the pars intercerebralis and consisted of four to six cells. Octopamine-like immunoreactivity was furthermore present in the central body, protocerebral bridge, the SOG, antennal lobe, near the alpha and beta lobes of the mushroom bodies and in the mushroom body calyces. Due to the used methods and a high variability in staining intensity it was not possible to detect if there were any differences in the number of neurons, in arborisation patterns or in labelling intensity between the two wasp species.

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