Nesting behavior ofHalictus scabiosæ in Switzerland (Hymenoptera,Halictidæ)

Summary The structure and populations of seven nests ofHalictus scabiosæ were studied in Geneva during July and August, 1964. Cells, containing brood of various ages, were radially arranged along the branching burrows. The one to six females in each nest did not belong to distinct worker and queen castes. This is in contrast to reports of distinct castes in what appears to be the same species from France. Most pollen collectors in the Geneva population were inseminated and some probably laid eggs.

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Zusammenfassung Die Struktur und die Bewohner von sieben Nestern vonHalictus scabiosæ, die im Juli und August 1964 in der Gegend um Genf gesammelt wurden, werden beschrieben. Zellen mit Brut verschiedenen Alters sind entlang verzweigter Gänge radiär angeordnet. Bis zu sechs Weibchen befanden sich in einem einzelnen Nest. Sie waren nicht in Königinnen und Arbeiterinnen differenziert, wie dies von Bienen aus Frankreich berichtet ist, die wahrscheinlich zur selben Art gehören. Die meisten Pollen-Sammlerinnen der Genfer Population waren befruchtet und einige von ihnen legten auch wahrscheinlich Eier.

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Résumé La structure et la population de sept nids deHalictus scabiosæ ont été étudiées à Genève durant les mois de juillet et d'août 1964. Des cellules contenant du couvain d'âge différent sont disposées en rayons le long de terriers qui se ramifient. Chaque nid était occupé par une à six femelles qui n'appartenaient pas à une caste distincte d'ouvrières ou de reine. La plupart des abeilles qui collectent le pollen furent inséminées et quelques-unes probablement pondèrent des ufs.

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Contribution No. 1303 from the Department of Entomology, The University of Kansas, Lawrence.     

Social behavior and nests of some nomiine bees in India (Hymenoptera,Halictidæ)

Summary Social or semisocial behavior in nomiine bees is here reported for the first time. InNomia capitata and perhaps inN. oxybeloides, presumed sister bees share cell clusters and cooperatively provision the same cells. Unlike other primitively social bees, the sisters simultaneously forage and oviposit. There is no apparent inhibition of the oviposition of daughters, although their nest-founding mother or perhaps an older sister appears to stay in the nest and continue to oviposit.Nesting behavior and nest structure ofNomia capitata andN. oxybeloides are similar; cells are vertical and clustered. In contrastNomia nasicana makes horizontal cells scattered along the main burrow.

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Zusammenfassung Zum ersten Mal wird über soziales oder halbsoziales Verhalten von Bienen aus der Unterfamilie der Nomiinen berichtet. BeiNomia capitata und vielleicht auch beiN. oxybeloides teilen sich mehrere Bienen—wahrscheinlich Schwestern—ein und denselben Zellkomplex und verproviantieren auch die Zellen gemeinsam. Ganz im Gegensatz zu anderen sozial primitiven Bienen verproviantieren diese Nestgenossen nicht nur, sondern legen auch Eier. Die Fähigkeit Eier zu produzieren ist in diesen Bienen offenbar nicht unterdrückt, obwohl sich in jedem Nest ein eierlegendes Individuum befindet, die entweder die Nestgründerin, oder eine ältere Schwester sein muss. Im Nistverhalten und in der Struktur der Nester sind sichN. capitata undN. oxybeloides sehr ähnlich. Die Zellen stehen vertikal und sind in Gruppen angeordnet. Im Gegensatz dazu fertigtN. nasicana horizontal liegende Zellen, die entlang eines Tunnels verteilt sind.

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Résumé Un comportement social est décrit pour la première fois chez des abeilles nomiine. ChezNomia capitata et probablementN. oxybeloides, il existe des abeilles surs qui partagent les cellules et les approvisionnent ensemble. Contrairement à d'autres abeilles à comportement social primitif, les surs butinent et pondent des ufs simultanément. Les filles ne montrent pas d'inhibition apparente de ponte malgré que leur mère ayant bâtit le nid, ou peut-être une vieille sur, reste dans le nid et continue à pondre des ufs.Le comportement et la structure des nids desNomia capitata, N. oxybeloides etNomia nasicana sont décrits.

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Contribution No 1304 from the Department of Entomology, The University of Kansas, Lawrence. This paper is the second of a series on behavior of Halictidae in India; the others areBatra andMichener (1966) andBatra (1966).     

Notes on the biology of the ant speciesMyrmecia dispar (Clark) (Hymenoptera: Formicidæ)

Myrmecia dispar (Clark) is found in the drier inland areas of New South Wales and southern Queensland in Australia. Its nests, which are situated adjacent to trees, have a distinctive structure of simple architecture. The composition of the colonies varies seasonally with little or no brood production during the colder months. Colony founding probably takes place in March, April, and/or May. Several myrmecophiles are found in nests ofM. dispar, and some of these are present in relatively large numbers.     

Nest structure and size distribution in the genusTrinervitermes (Isoptera,Termitidæ, Nasutitermitinæ) in West Africa

Summary This paper is one of a series of comparative studies of the biology and ecology of five species ofTrinervitermes occurring in West Africa. The nest structure of each is described in detail, and specific differences are given. The largest mounds are those ofT. carbonarius followed byT. conomus andT. ebenerianus in that order.T. auriterræ andT. suspensus do not produce mounds sufficiently often for their average size to be estimated. Large numbers of measurements ofT. ebenerianus mounds have been used to construct a frequency distribution of size, which is considered to be the resultant of three or four component normal distributions. These are thought to arise from the seasonal activities of the termites, each distribution representing the mounds of one year. On the basis of this hypothesis it is suggested that in the population examined the mean annual increment of mounds is four to five inches diameter; colony expansion is probably by the erection of supplementary mounds after the primary mounds reach three or four years of age. The mean number of mounds per colony is probably between three and six.

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Zusammenfassung Dieser Artikel gehört zu einer Reihe von vergleichenden Studien der Biologie und kologie von fünf Arten vonTrinervitermes, die in Westafrika vorkommen. Die Neststruktur wird für jede Art im einzelnen beschrieben, und die speziellen Unterschiede werden hervorgehoben. Der Grösse nach angeordnet stehen die Hügel vonT. carbonarius an erster, die vonT. conomus an zweiter und die vonT. ebenerianus an dritter Stelle.T. auriterræ undT. suspensus bauen nur selten Hügel, und ihre durchschnittliche Grösse ist deshalb nicht abzuschätzen. Eine Bestimmung der Häufigkeitsverteilung der Grösse wurde an Hand von zahlreichen Messungen anT. ebenerianus Hügeln durchgeführt. Diese Häufigkeitsverteilung wird als die Resultante von drei oder vier normalen Verteilungskomponenten angesehen. Es ist anzunehmen, dass diese Komponenten durch die Tätigkeit der Termiten während der verschiedenen Jahreszeiten entstehen, so dass jede Verteilung die während eines Jahres angelegten Hügel darstellt. Auf Grund dieser Hypothese würde sich ergeben, dass für die untersuchte Population die mittlere jährliche Zunahme des Durchmessers der Hügel 10–12 cm beträgt. Die Ausdehnung der Kolonie erfolgt durch Anlage zusätzlicher Hügel, wenn die ursprünglich vorhandenen drei bis vier Jahre alt sind. Jede kolonie besitzt im Durchschnitt drei bis sechs Hügel.

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Résumé On a décrit en détail la construction des nids de cinq espèces deTrinervitermes en Afrique Occidentale, montrant les différences inter-spécifiques. Parmi les termitières la plus grosse est construite parT. carbonarius, suivi deT. conomus etT. ebenerianus dans cet ordre. LesT. auriterræ etT. suspensus ne bâtissent que rarement les termitières et on ne peut pas obtenir la moyenne statistique de leur grosseur. On a déterminé chez les termitières deT. ebenerianus une fréquence de tailles, composée on pense de trois ou quatre distributions normales interactives. On présente l'hypothèse que celles-ci sont déterminées par les activités en saison, chaque distribution représentant les termitières construites en une seule année, et que l'augmentation annuelle est en moyenne de 10 à 12 centimètres en diamètre; l'expansion des colonies après que les termitières originales ont atteint leur grosseur habituelle après trois ou quatre ans est due aux termitières supplémentaires. Le nombre moyen de nids dans une colonie est probablement entre trois et six.

     

New data on trophic relations between eulophid parasitic wasps (Hymenoptera,Eulophidae) and lepidopterans in Ul’yanovsk Province

Twenty seven species of the family Eulophidae were reared from 20 new lepidopteran hosts in Ul’yanovsk Province. Among newly revealed host-parasitoid associations, 27, 9, 3, and 3 are those with Phyllonorycter (Gracillariidae), Stigmella and single species of Ectoedemia (Nepticulidae), Yponomeuta (Yponomeutidae), and Tischeria (Tischeriidae), respectively. Ectoparasitoids prevailed among parasitoids of the genus Phyllonorycter, and endoparasitoids, among parasitoids of the genera Stigmella and Tischeria.     

Dufour’s gland possible role in the evolution of sting morphology and function in hover wasps (Hymenoptera Stenogastrinae)

The sting is the most effective defense of social Hymenoptera against vertebrate predators but in the hover wasps (subfamily Stenogastrinae) it is scarcely used. In these wasps a quite enlarged Dufour’s gland and the extensive use of its secretion in the peculiar rearing of the larvae and defense determined important morphological modifications of the sting structure. Connecting anatomical and morphological data with behavioral observations we determined that in these wasps the Dufour’s gland secretion is attached to the egg during oviposition but can be also channeled to the outside via the sting when it is collected by adult females for larval rearing or construction of the nest ant guards. The anatomical modifications of the sting reduced the function of the sting as a defensive weapon in hover wasps.     

Long-maintained social–ecological systems and genetic diversity in coexisting insects: A case of the straw-thatched roof nesting solitary wasp Symmorphus apiciornatus (Hymenoptera: Vespidae: Eumeninae)

Thatched roofs are artificial environments that serve as nesting sites for a variety of insects, including tube-nesting wasps, but they have been declining drastically in recent years. In this study, we investigated the nesting habits of a eumenine wasp, Symmorphus apiciornatus, nesting in a group at thatched roofs in a northern part of Ibaraki Prefecture, central Japan. Genetic diversity and genetic structure in the area were also investigated. Sex ratios at most study sites were not biased. Males emerged first and waited for females to mate around the natal nests, suggesting a high possibility of breeding between the wasps having emerged at a given thatched roof under the recent situation where there has been a drastic reduction in the number of houses with a thatched roof. Nevertheless, the genetic diversity in a given local population or a thatched roof was relatively high and significant genetic differentiation among thatched roofs was not detected.     

Observations on the biology of Leuciscus ‘svallize’ in the Kremasta reservoir (Greece)

The age, growth, feeding habits and reproductive biology of Leuciscus svallize in artificial lake Kremasta (Greece), are described. There is a considerable similarity in the feeding and reproductive characteristics between L. svallize and L. cephalus and also a similarity in the life span, growth patterns and age of maturation between L. svallize and some southern L. cephalus populations, which may suggest similar responses of closely related taxa to similar conditions.     

Diversity of social wasps (Hymenoptera: Vespidae) in Cerrado fragments of Uberlândia, Minas Gerais State, Brazil

Studies of species survey are important to know the available natural resources and to get useful information about the ecological characteristics of a specific area. There are not studies, on this issue, related to social wasps, in the Triangulo Mineiro region. The present study describes the diversity of species found in fragments of the cerrado region in Uberlandia, MG, and their temporal distribution. The field study was conducted from October 2003 to September 2004, and 43 samplings were carried out using active searching (24) and point sampling (19) methodologies. Twenty-nine species were found in 10 genera, Polybia and Polistes corresponding to 51.5% of the total listing. Mischocyttarus cerberus styx Richards represented 26.5% of the total individuals recorded by active searching and Agelaia pallipes (Olivier) corresponded to 57.6% by point sampling. Two species had their first record for the state of Minas Gerais: Polybia striata (Fabricius) and M. cerberus styx. The studied fragments presented a high level of diversity (H' = 0.66 to 1.16), a large number of rare species and a few common species. To collect the more common species the point sampling method was satisfactory while active searching was better to collect the rarer species. The active searching methodology was more efficient than point sampling, however some species could only be collected by point sampling. These factors showed that in order to carry out a wasp survey, a combination of different collection methodologies seems to be more appropriate.     

A new species of Thysanote Krøyer, 1863 (Copepoda,Lernaeopodidae) from the Persian Gulf,with comments on the genus

Summary Thysanote alternans n. sp., a lernaeopodid copepod parasitic on Polynemus sextarius is described and illustrated. A key to 19 species of Thysanote is provided (two unnamed species included). Specific diagnosis within the genus is based on the number and shape of maxillary and posterior trunk processes. The limitations of their value as discriminant characteristics are discussed. Host affiliations of the members of the genus are examined. Distribution of Thysanote is shown to have two centres, one in the Indian Ocean and another, a smaller one, in the Caribbean. The connections between them are tenuous. ac]19810127     

Osteology of the flounder,tephrinectes sinensis (lacepède) (teleostei: pleuronectiformes), with comments on its relationships

The entire skeleton ofTephrinectes sinensis, the single representative of a monotypic genus, is described in detail. The apomorphic characters observed suggest that the sister group ofT. sinensis is a clade composed of the Poecilopsettinae, Rhombosoleinae, Samarinae, Achiridae, Soleidae and Cynoglossidae, taxa which share an anteriorly-inclined second neural spine the distal portion of which overlies the cranium. This supports the removal ofT. sinensis from its former position in the Paralichthyidae.     

Mandibular gland secretions in alloxystine wasps (Hymenoptera,Cynipoidea, Charipidae): do ecological or phylogenetical constraints influence occurrence or composition?

Mandibular gland secretions were investigated in 28 taxa of alloxystine wasps (17 described and 11 potential, hitherto undescribed species) using GC-MS. In two selected species (Alloxysta pleuralis, A. victrix), the chemical patterns of the mandibular gland secretions remained constant and were not qualitatively influenced by different host systems; however, there was a considerable variation in quantity. A cluster analysis revealed the chemical composition to be independent of two different modes of resource utilisation which are characterized by the presence or absence of ants in the respective host system. These results support the idea of the prevalence of historical (phylogenetic) rather than actual ecological constraints. However, the chemotaxonomic applicability of such data on the subfamily level was limited, although a species status could be confirmed in some questionable taxa. By integrating morphological and biological characters, potential relationships of selected species and a hypothetical phylogenetic frame tree are proposed.     

Does forest loss affect the communities of trap-nesting wasps (Hymenoptera: Aculeata) in forests? Landscape vs. local habitat conditions

We investigated changes in the communities of trap-nesting Hymenoptera in forests in relation to forest loss on a landscape scale and understory conditions on a local habitat scale. Two specific questions were addressed. (1) Do the communities change with degrees of forest loss? (2) Do the communities change with varying local environmental conditions of understory habitats? The study was made in a landscape characterized by distributed forest patches within intensively managed agricultural surroundings. We deployed trap-nests at eight randomly selected sites in forests in summer. To quantify forest loss, the amount of forest coverage was calculated using GIS. To indicate local habitat conditions, the species richness of understory flowering plants was used. All together, 12 species of wasps and no bees were captured. Regression analyses showed that both abundance and species richness of the wasps were not significantly related to forest coverage. However, abundance of trap-nesting wasps was significantly related to species richness of understory plants, but species richness of the wasps was not significantly related to the plants. These results suggest that communities of trap-nesting wasps in forests are influenced more by the local habitat conditions than by forest loss.     

Species of the genus Mastrus Förster (Hymenoptera, Ichneumonidae) of China with descriptions of two new species parasitizing sawflies (Hymenoptera)

Four species of Mastrus Förster, 1869 are reported from China. Two, Mastrus nigrus Sheng & Zeng, sp. n. reared from Arge pullata (Zaddach) and Mastrus rugotergalis Sheng & Zeng, sp. n. reared from Diprion jingyuanensis Xiao & Zhang, are new to science. One, Mastrus deminuens (Hartig, 1838), is a parasitoid of Pachynematus itoi Okutani. A key to species of Mastrus Förster known in China is provided.     

Nesting biology of Asian paper wasps Polistes chinensis antennalis Pérez,and Australian paper wasps P. humilis (Fab.) (Hymenoptera: Vespidae) in northern New Zealand

Abstract

We recorded the numbers of cells, and where possible distinguished between cells containing pupating larvae and vacated cells, from 585 paper wasp nests from the northern North Island, New Zealand, plus nest site characteristics of 540 of these nests. Nests of Polistes chinensis antennalis and P. humilis developed at similar rates in early summer. P. c. antennalis nests were larger at the Post‐emergence stage than those of P. humilis, and contained more vacated cells but less capped cells. All of the P. c. antennalis nests had reached the Post‐emergence stage by February in Northland, but not in the other regions. P. c. antennalis nests in the Post‐emergence stage were larger in Northland than further south, and contained the most capped or vacated cells. Nests of both species were usually found in northern‐facing sites. Substrate did not affect nest size. Differences between the species in nest sites included greater use of manmade structures by P. c. antennalis; the use of leaves by P. humilis only; and a higher average nest site height in P. humilis. These differences in nest site selection may reduce competition between the species.     

Chalcidoid wasps (Hymenoptera, Chalcidoidea)—coccid-inhabiting parasites in Vietnam: XII. A new genus and a new species Neoanabrolepis valentinae gen. et sp. n. (Hymenoptera, Encyrtidae)

A new genus, Neoanabrolepis gen. n. with the type species N. valentinae sp. n., parasitoid of the soft scale Asterolecanium sp. on bamboo in Vietnam, is described in the tribe Habrolepidini Hoffer.     

A ‘social’ gland in a solitary wasp? The postpharyngeal gland of female European beewolves (Hymenoptera,Crabronidae)

Exocrine glands play an important role in maintaining the integrity of colonies of social Hymenoptera. The postpharyngeal gland (PPG) of ants is crucial for the generation of a nest odour that enables nestmate recognition. The evolutionary history of this gland is unknown and it was thought to be restricted to ants. Here we describe an exocrine head gland in females of a solitary crabronid wasp, the European beewolf, Philanthus triangulum, that resembles the PPG of ants in many respects. The newly described gland has the same location and the same glove like shape as in ants, and it also has a monolayered epithelium with similar ultrastructure. Unlike in ants, the epithelium bears hairs that reach into the lumen of the gland. Although the PPG of beewolves serves a completely different function it is also associated to an allogrooming behaviour as in ants. Based on these morphological and behavioural similarities as well as similarities in the chemical composition of the content of the PPG of both taxa, we hypothesise that the PPGs of ants and beewolves have a common evolutionary origin. Thus, our results suggest that the PPG in ants might not have evolved in response to social requirements but might have already existed in solitary predecessors.