Acetate esters of saturated and unsaturated alcohols (C12–C20) are major components in Dufour glands of Bracon cephi and Bracon lissogaster (Hymenoptera: Braconidae), parasitoids of the wheat stem sawfly,Cephus cinctus (Hymenoptera: Cephidae)

Chemistry of Dufour glands associated with the venom complex in Bracon cephi (Gahan) and Bracon lissogaster Muesebeck (Hymenoptera; Braconidae), two parasitoids of the wheat stem sawfly, Cephus cinctus Norton (Hymenoptera: Cephidae), was examined by solid phase micro-extraction (SPME) and gas chromatography/mass spectrometry. Homologous series of five chemical classes were detected in individual glands from each species. Major classes included: (1) acetate esters of saturated and unsaturated primary alcohols with parent chain lengths from C₁₂ to C₂₀. Hexadecanyl acetate, octadecanyl acetate, and octadecenyl acetate were major components in B. cephi. The composition of the acetate series in B. lissogaster was similar except that the octadecanyl acetate was only a minor component. (2) A homologous series of monoenes from C_23:1 to C_35:1 were detected in both species, with C_29:1, C_31:1 and C_33:1 being the major components. Dienes from C_31:2 to C_35:2 and trienes (C_33:3–C_35:3) were also detected in both species. (3) A homologous series of n-alkanes from C₁₉ to C₃₁ was detected in both species. n-Tricosane was the major component. Minor components in both species included homologous series of both mono- and dimethyl branched alkanes. The Dufour gland hydrocarbon components in both B. cephi and B. lissogaster have some similarities to the composition of cuticular hydrocarbons of their host C. cinctus, a species with a complex pheromonal signaling system.     

First record of Zombrus bicolor (Enderlein) (Hymenoptera, Braconidae, Doryctinae) in Western Europe

The finding of Zombrus bicolor (Enderlein) (Hymenoptera: Braconidae: Doryctinae) in a Tuscan vineyard of the Siena province (Italy) represents the first record of this species in western Europe. A female was captured in summer 2009 with a malaise trap located in an organic vineyard. Until this finding, the species was recorded only in the Oriental regions of continental China, Taiwan, Korea and Japan and, very recently, in the eastern and southern parts of the Palaearctic region.     

Learning of visual cues in the fruit fly parasitoid Psyttalia concolor (Szépligeti) (Hymenoptera: Braconidae)

Parasitoids can learn to associate information from the host microhabitat with ovipositional experiences. Psyttalia concolor (Szépligeti) is a koinobiont larval-pupal endoparasitoid of many tephritids. In P. concolor, the role of visual cues learning during host microhabitat location has not been greatly explored. Here, the innate preferences of P. concolor for colours, shapes and patterns were investigated, as well as the effects of sensitisation and associative learning regarding female preferences for these visual cues. Na?ve females showed no innate preferences for a particular colour, shape or pattern, and their responses were unaffected by sensitisation. In contrast, P. concolor females developed clear preferences after training on Ceratitis capitata larvae associated with a given colour, but not when they were trained on different shapes or patterns. Our findings on how P. concolor learn to pick up visual cues could help to define its optimal environment, and to predict its natural post-release distribution in biological control programs.     

Passive evasion of encapsulation in Macrocentrus cingulum Brischke (Hymenoptera: Braconidae), a polyembryonic parasitoid of Ostrinia furnacalis Guenée (Lepidoptera: Pyralidae)

The hymenopteran Macrocentrus cingulum usually deposits one egg into the larval body cavity of lepidopteran Ostrinia furnacalis, and the egg subsequently splits into several dozens of embryos during its development. How the parasitoid eggs and embryos avoid encapsulation by the host's immune response remains unknown. We compared hemocyte counts, morphologies and behaviors between unparasitized O. furnacalis larvae, and larvae parasitized by M. cingulum. No distinct differences were observed. Sephadex A-25 beads elicited a strong encapsulation response when injected into the parasitized host larvae, which indicates that parasitism by M. cingulum does not affect host's cellular immunity. However, there were significant differences in the host's encapsulation reactions towards injected eggs from different sources. Injected M. cingulum mature eggs excised from the lateral oviducts of the female wasps were not encapsulated, while immature eggs or driselase treated mature ones provoked an encapsulation response within 2 h after injection. Inspection of eggs by transmission electron microscopy revealed that the driselase collapsed the surface fibrous layer of the eggs, indicating that surface fibrous layer may play a role in protecting eggs from host's immune attack.     

Seasonal parasitism and biological characteristics of Habrobracon hebetor (Hymenoptera: Braconidae) – a potential larval ectoparasitoid of Helicoverpa armigera (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) in a chickpea ecosystem

Seasonal parasitism of Habrobracon hebetor (Say) on Helicoverpa armigera (Hübner) in chickpea was studied for three consecutive years. Parasitism by H. hebetor on larvae of H. armigera reached 12.3%. The parasitoid maintained reproductive activity on H. armigera from February to April coinciding with pod formation and maturation stages of the crop. In laboratory assays, we investigated the suitability of larval instars of H. armigera to the parasitoid H. hebetor. This parasitoid attacked third to sixth instars, though fourth and fifth instar larvae were found most suitable with 100% parasitism and development to adults. Parasitoid developmental time was longest in fifth instar (9.1 days) compared to other instars (8.1–8.9 days). Fifth instar larvae resulted in highest numbers of cocoons and adult emergence. In addition, suitability of seven lepidopteran species to H. hebetor was investigated. Corcyra cephalonica, Galleria mellonella and H. armigera were the most suitable hosts with 100% parasitism and development to adults. It was followed by Maruca vitrata and Autographa nigrisigna with 60–76.7% and 40–70% parasitism and parasitoid developmental success, respectively. Though there was 23.3% parasitism, there was no parasitoid development in Spodoptera litura. No parasitism was recorded in Spilarctia obliqua. Development of H. hebetor was most rapid in C. cephalonica (8.7 days), and longest in G. mellonella (9.3 days). Parasitoids that developed on these hosts resulted in highest numbers of cocoons and adult emergence. The parasitoid could be exploited for the biological control of H. armigera in a chickpea ecosystem.     

Development and parasitization of an aphid’s secondary parasitoid,Dendrocerus laticeps (Hymenoptera: Megaspilidae), on Aphidius colemani (Hymenoptera: Braconidae)

Banker-plant systems using Aphidius species have been employed to control pest aphids in greenhouses growing eggplant and sweet pepper in Japan. However, a strong negative correlation between the occurrence of secondary parasitoids and aphid-control success by this system was reported by Nagasaka et al. (2010). To control secondary parasitoid populations, detailed knowledge of their ecological characteristics is needed. In this paper, the development and parasitization ability of Dendrocerus laticeps (Hedicke) (Hymenoptera: Megaspilidae), a major secondary ectoparasitoid of Aphidius species in Japan, were examined under 25 °C laboratory conditions. The maximum female longevity was about 11 days when honeydew was available. Parasitization occurred only on mummified aphids, and the age of mummified aphids did not influence the ecological value of offspring. The maximum parasitization ability was 18.9 hosts/day estimated by Holling’s disc equation. Possible lifetime fecundity was 100.35. The intrinsic rate of natural increase estimated by the bootstrap method ranged from 0.211 to 0.321, depending on the assumptions made about larval mortality. The countermeasures for avoiding the negative impacts of D. laticeps in a banker-plant system include the development of a refuge for mummified aphids and increasing the temperature around the banker plants.     

Seasonal changes of resistance to fenvalerate and cypermethrin in the larval parasitoid Cotesia plutellae （Hymenoptera： Braconidae）

The seasonal changes of insecticide resistance and stability in hymenopteran Cotesia plutellae, collected from Jianxin, Fuzhou-City, and Shangjie, Minhou-County, Fujian, China, were assessed by using a dry residual film method. The resistance to two insecticides in the field populations of C. plutellae was not stable under insecticide-free conditions in the insectarium. Compared with susceptible F11 progeny of C. plutellae in the insectarium, the resistance ratios （RR） in F0 parents were 18.4 for fenvalerate and 11.4 for cypermethrin based on LC50 at 9 hours, and 32.8 for fenvalerate and 28.5 for cypermethrin based on LC50 at 24 hours when the parasitoids were left in contact with the insecticides for 1 hour and mortalities were recorded at 9 and 24 hours, respectively. However, the RR in a field population of C. plutellae were 9.2 for fenvalerate and 12.7 for cypermethrin, if the parasitoids were left in contact with the insecticides for 24 hours. The resistances to the two pyrethroids in other field populations collected from Jianxin and Shangjie from November 2000 and July 2004 were also determined. Significant seasonal variations of resistance to the two insecticides in the field populations of C. plutellae were found. The RR were 3.0-18.4 for fenvalerate and 4.8-20.6 for cypermethrin in Jianxin populations from November 2000 to April 2002 based on LC50 at 9 h, and 2.3-13.6 for fenvalerate and 3.6-16.0 for cypermethrin in Shangjie populations from May 2002 to July 2004 based on LC50 at 24 hours. The resistance levels were high in spring and autumn and decreased sharply in summer. In addition, significant recovery from the knocked-down caused by the insecticides was found in the F0 and field populations of C. plutellae which were resistant to fenvalerate and cypermethrin if the parasitoids were left in contact with the pyrethroids for 1 hour. However, no recovery was found in susceptible F11 progeny.     

First record of the ant subfamily Aenictinae (Hymenoptera,Formicidae) from Saudi Arabia,with?the description of a new species

The ant subfamily Aenictinae is recorded for the first time from the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and for the second time from the Arabian Peninsula. A new species Aenictus arabicus sp. n., is described from the worker caste. Aenictus arabicus belongs to the Aenictus wroughtonii-group and appears to be most closely related to Aenictus rhodiensis Menozzi, but can be easily distinguished from the latter by the following characters: overall smaller size; cephalic index (head width/head length) small; occipital corners in lateral view rounded; antennal scape when laid back surpassing approximately two-thirds of head length; funicular segments 2–8 each at least 2× as long as broad; subpetiolar process well developed; petiole and postpetiole distinctly imbricate; gaster and clypeus entirely yellow, teeth of mandibles reddish- brown. Aenictus arabicus was collected from leaf litter, next to a tree of Psidium guajava L. The new species also is similar to Aenictus sagei and Aenictus wroughtonii. Affinities and a key to related species of the species group are given.     

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

One new species of the genus Phradis, Phradis peruvianussp. 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.     

Two new species of Hartigia Schidte from China(Hymenoptera:Cephidae)

Two new species of Hartigia Schidte, 1838 from China are described: H. maculothoracica sp. nov. from Xinjiang and H. fuscicosta sp. nov. from Jilin. A diagnosis of Hartigia and a key to Hartigia maculothoracica and its relatives are provided.     

Did the parasitoid Pnigalio mediterraneus (Hymenoptera: Eulophidae) track the invasion of the horse chestnut leafminer?

How communities of natural enemies, such as parasitoids, adapt to the range expansion of their hosts or the arrival of a novel invasive host is an important question in invasion biology. Do parasitoids track the expansion of their hosts from their shared native range? Do they locally adapt both behaviorally and physiologically to the arrival of a novel species by shifting hosts? Few studies have addressed those questions, yet they are important to develop efficient methods to manage invasive species. Here we focus on Pnigalio mediterraneus Ferriére and Delucchi (Hymenoptera: Eulophidae), an important parasitoid of two major agricultural and ornamental pests, the olive fruit fly Bactrocera oleae Rossi (Diptera: Tephritidae) and the horse chestnut leafminer Cameraria ohridella Deschka & Dimic (Lepidoptera: Gracillariidae). C. ohridella recently invaded Europe starting from the Southern Balkans, whereas B. oleae has been associated since the Quaternary with wild olives in the Mediterranean, where it largely spread after the domestication of cultivated olives. We used two markers, the ribosomal spacer ITS2 and the mitochondrial gene COI. Although the ITS2 dataset provided little variation and no phylogeographic signal, analysis of mtDNA of 188 individuals of P. mediterraneus from 54 European localities allowed us to identify 53 haplotypes. Both nucleotide and haplotype diversity were higher for Mediterranean samples, and from samples reared from B. oleae. The statistical parsimony network identified one haplotype as the most frequent, ancestral and mainly associated with C. ohridella. Our findings suggest that P. mediterraneus locally host switched to C. ohridella from other hosts in the Balkans and later tracked the horse chestnut leafminer invasion over Europe. Therefore both host-tracking and ecological sorting could explain the current distribution of P. mediterraneus haplotypes.     

A new species of Megalommum Szépligeti (Hymenoptera, Braconidae, Braconinae); a parasitoid of the pistachio longhorn beetle (Calchaenesthes pistacivora Holzschuh; Coleoptera, Cerambycidae) in Iran

A new species of the genus Megalommum Szépligeti (Hymenoptera: Braconidae: Braconinae), reared from the pistachio longhorn beetle (Calchaenesthes pistacivora Holzschuh; Coleoptera: Cerambycidae), is described and illustrated. The genera Curreia Ashmead, 1900 and Endovipio Turner, 1922 are new synonyms of Megalommum Szépligeti, 1900. Notes on the biology of Megalommum pistacivoraesp. n. and a key to the West Palaearctic and Oriental species are added. The following new combinations are given: Megalommum xanthoceps (Fahringer, 1928), comb. n.,Megalommum jacobsoni (Tobias, 1968), comb. n.,Megalommum ayyari (Watanabe, 1950), comb. n.,Megalommum philippinense (Baker, 1917), comb. n.,Megalommum dodecanesi(Ferrière, 1922), comb. n.,Megalommum ceresense (Turner, 1922), comb. n., Megalommum inareatum (Granger, 1949), comb. n.,Megalommum antefurcale (Szépligeti, 1915) comb. n. and Megalommum tibiale (Ashmead, 1906), comb. n.     

May the wild male loose? Male wing fanning performances and mating success in wild and mass-reared strains of the aphid parasitoid Aphidius colemani Viereck (Hymenoptera: Braconidae: Aphidiinae)

Aphidius colemani Viereck (Hymenoptera: Braconidae) is a pan-tropical broadly oligophagous endoparasitoid of many aphids of economic importance, including Aphis gossypii Glover and Myzus persicae (Sulzer). While the trophic interactions occurring among A. colemani and its hosts have been extensively studied, little is known about the male- and female-borne cues that guide mating dynamics. Male wing fanning has been found to play a key role in A. colemani courtship, as successful mounting of females without initial wing fanning has never been observed. In this research, we analyzed wing fanning performance and mating ability of males from three different strains of A. colemani: wasps commercially mass-reared on A. gossypii, wild wasps from parasitized A. gossypii, and wild wasps from parasitized Aphis nerii Boyer de Fonscolombe. Results showed that virgin females did not rely on particular male fanning features during mate choice. Moreover, when A. colemani individuals developed on A. gossypii, no major differences were detected in courtship and mating ability between field collected and mass-reared wasps. In contrast, courtship performance and mating success varied between wild A. colemani males reared on different hosts, with those developing on A. nerii having lower quality wing fanning performance during the mounting attempt phase, and reduced ability to compete for females with other males reared on A. gossypii.     

Effects of Endophyte Colonization of Vicia faba (Fabaceae) Plants on the Life–History of Leafminer Parasitoids Phaedrotoma scabriventris (Hymenoptera: Braconidae) and Diglyphus isaea (Hymenoptera: Eulophidae)

Effects of the fungal endophytes Beauveria bassiana (isolates ICIPE 279, G1LU3, S4SU1) and Hypocrea lixii (isolate F3ST1) on the life-history of Phaedrotoma scabriventris and Diglyphus isaea, parasitoids of the pea leafminer Liriomyza huidobrensis, were studied in the laboratory. Parasitoids were allowed to parasitize 2^nd and 3^rd instar L. huidobrensis larvae reared on endophytically-inoculated faba bean, Vicia faba. In the control, parasitoids were reared on non-inoculated host plants. Parasitism, pupation, adult emergence and survival were recorded. No significant difference was observed between the control and the endophyte-inoculated plants in terms of parasitism rates of P. scabriventris (p = 0.68) and D. isaea (p = 0.45) and adult'' survival times (p = 0.06). The survival period of the F1 progeny of P. scabriventris was reduced (p<0.0001) in B. bassiana S4SU1 to 28 days as compared to more than 40 days for B. bassiana G1LU3, ICIPE 279 and H. lixii F3ST1. However, no significant difference (p = 0.54) was observed in the survival times of the F1 progeny of D. isaea. This study has demonstrated that together, endophytes and parasitoids have beneficial effects in L. huidobrensis population suppression.     

STUDIES ON THE GENUS ZELE CURTIS (Hymenoptera: Braconidae: Euphorinae)

Nine new species of Zele Curtis are described from India. The genus Zele Curtis (Euphorinae: Meteorini) consists of usually moder-ate sized, dark coloured insects. This genus has no far been reported from:Oriental region by only one species viz., Zele niveitarsis (Cresson) (VanAchterberg, 1979). Earlier two species were reported under this genus byNixon and Lyle viz., Zele elagabalus Nixon and Zele infumator Lyle. Later     

First record of Sinoxylon conigerum Gerstäcker (Coleoptera: Bostrichidae) in Brazil

This is the first register of Sinoxylon conigerum attacking timber of teak (Tectona grandis L.f.), mango tree (Mangifera indica L.) and (Astronium fraxinifolium Schott) in the municipalities of Cuiabá and Várzea Grande, State of Mato Grosso, Brazil.     

Does Bt maize expressing Cry1Ac protein have adverse effects on the parasitoid Macrocentrus cingulum (Hymenoptera: Braconidae)?

The potential effects of insect‐resistant, genetically engineered (GE) crops on non‐target organisms, especially on predators and parasitoids, must be evaluated before their commercial cultivation. The effects of GE maize that produces Cry1Ac toxin on the parasitoid Macrocentrus cingulum were assessed by direct bioassay and indirect bioassay. In the indirect bioassay, parasitism rate, cocoon weight and the number of M. cingulum progeny produced per host were significantly reduced when M. cingulum‐parasitized Cry1Ac‐susceptible Ostrinia furnacalis were fed a diet containing purified Cry1Ac; however, life‐table parameters of M. cingulum were not adversely affected when the same assay was performed with Cry1Ac‐resistant O. furnacalis. These results indicated that the detrimental effects detected with a Cry1Ac‐susceptible host were mediated by poor host quality. In a direct bioassay, no difference in life‐table parameters were detected when M. cingulum adults were directly fed a 20% honey solution with or without Cry1Ac; however, survival and longevity were significantly reduced when M. cingulum adults were fed a honey solution containing potassium arsenate, which was used as a positive control. The stability and bioactivity of Cry1Ac toxin in the food sources and Cry1Ac toxin uptake by the host insect and parasitoid were confirmed by enzyme‐linked immunosorbent assay and sensitive‐insect bioassays. Our results demonstrate that M. cingulum is not sensitive to Cry1Ac toxin at concentrations exceeding those encountered in Bacillus thuringiensis maize fields. This study also demonstrates the power of using resistant hosts when assessing the risk of genetically modified plants on non‐target organisms and will be useful for assessing other non‐target impacts.     

The life parameters of a parasitoid Microplitis mediator (Hymenoptera: Braconidae), reared on cotton bollworm Helicoverpa armigera (Hübner) with Cry1Ac diet

Microplitis mediator (Haliday) is an important endoparasitoid of the cotton bollworm, Helicoverpa armigera (Hübner) in northern China. Interactions among H. armigera, its larval parasitoid M. mediator, and Cry1Ac over two generations were evaluated under laboratory conditions. The results indicated that the developmental period of M. mediator offspring's eggs and larvae were significantly delayed and pupal and adult weight were significantly less compared to the control when the female parasitoids parasitized H. armigera larvae that fed on diet containing 1, 2, 4 and 8 µg/g Cry1Ac. The female parasitoids emerged from the host fed diet containing 8 µg/g Cry1Ac could oviposit in healthy hosts, and their offspring's biological parameters (egg–larval period, pupal weight and adult weight), parasitism rate, abnormal cocoon rate and adult emergence were not significantly affected. Cry1Ac was detected in larvae and hemolymph of H. armigera, but not in the larvae of M. mediator. The results suggest that the observed significant effects on several fitness parameters of the F₁ M. mediator developed from H. armigera fed Cry1Ac diet most likely were host-quality mediated rather than direct effects of Cry1Ac.