Three new records of the subfamily Aphidiinae (Hymenoptera: Braconidae) from Korea

Three species of the Aphidiinae (Hymenoptera: Braconidae) are reported for the first time in Korea: Aphidius rhopalosiphi de Stefani-Perez, 1902, Aphidius uzbekistanicus Luzhetzki, 1960 and Lysiphlebus orientalis Starý and Rakhshani, 2010. Their diagnosis, photographs and host list are included.     

Beetles that live with ants (Coleoptera,Carabidae, Pseudomorphini): A remarkable new genus and species from Guyane (French Guiana), Guyanemorpha?spectabilis gen. n., sp. n.

Among the extensive collections currently being made in Guyane (French Guiana), adults of a large and colorful species of pseudomorphine were encountered. The adults present, for the first time in the Western Hemisphere, elytra with a marked color pattern, and in addition a size considerably beyond that of the rest of the members of all other known genera in the Western Hemisphere. Both of these attributes, however, are well known in the Australian pseudomorphine fauna. This new species is described and illustrated and a revised key to the Western Hemisphere genera is included. The type locality of Guyanemorpha spectabilis gen. n., sp. n. is Guyane,Risquetout, PK20, 4.916°N, 52.516°W, 12m altitude.     

Influence of urbanization on ant distribution in parks of Tokyo and Chiba City, Japan II. Analysis of species

To study the influence of urbanization on the distribution of ant species, I compared the occurrence of several ant species in urban parks of different areas and ages in Tokyo and Chiba City, Japan. Analysis of the presence or absence of 42 species revealed that the probability of occurrence in a park was significantly associated with park area for 15 species (35.7%), with park age for five (11.9%), and with region for seven (16.7%). It is likely that different species respond differently to urbanization. Species sensitive to urbanization could be good bioindicators of urban environments. Furthermore, to estimate the influence of the modification of underground environments, Messor aciculatus was selected, because this species nests in an almost vertical shaft with many chambers, to a depth of up to 4 m. The probability of occurrence of the species in a park tended to be lower in reclaimed land and banked land than in other landforms. This fact suggests that M. aciculatus could be a bioindicator of underground modification.     

Effect of park age,size, shape and isolation on ant assemblages in two cities of Southern Spain

In the context of conservation biology, we have searched for the most influential characteristics of urban parks on ecological diversity. In this study, therefore, we studied the ant community of 24 parks in two cities of Southern Spain (Cordoba and Seville). In total, 46 species were found. Abundant and widely distributed species were synanthropic ones, such as Lasius grandis, Pheidole pallidula or Tapinoma nigerrimum, and exotic species such as Cardiocondyla mauritanica. However some parks also harbored natural habitat‐preferring species. Park size, shape and distance to city outskirts were the most important predictors of species richness and diversity. Likewise, park age influenced the composition of the ant fauna.     

中国侧跗叶蜂属(膜翅目,叶蜂科)五新种

记述侧跗叶蜂属5新种:尖鞘侧跗叶蜂Siobla acutitheca sp.nov.,脊唇侧跗叶蜂S.carinoclypea sp.nov.,棒角侧跗叶蜂S.clavicornis sp.nov.,侧带侧跗叶蜂S.nigrolateralis sp.nov.,三斑侧跗叶蜂S.trimaculata sp.nov.。新种模式标本保存于湖南长沙中南林业科技大学昆虫模式标本室。     

中国蠊泥蜂属一新种记述(膜翅目:蠊泥蜂科)

记述采自云南的蠊泥蜂科Ampulicidae蠊泥蜂属Ampulex l新种;扁唇蠊泥蜂Ampulex clypecomplana Chen et Li,sp.nov.,并与近似种Ampulex dissector(Thunberg,1822)作了比较。模式标本保存在云南农业大学昆虫标本室。     

Longevity and fecundity of Eulophus pennicornis, an ectoparasitoid of the tomato moth Lacanobia oleracea, is affected by nutritional state and diet quality

• 1 Adult female Eulophus pennicornis require a source of nutrition, provided by sources such as pollen, nectar and honeydew or by host feeding, to promote longevity and facilitate egg production. There is potential for parasitoids to be exposed directly to contaminants, including gene products in transgenic crops, through feeding on plant materials, honeydew or hosts. Among such potential contaminants are lectins such as Galanthus nivalis agglutinin (GNA) and concanavalin agglutinin (Con A).
• 2 The effect of direct exposure to honey diets containing GNA and Con A on the longevity and fecundity of E. pennicornis was examined. These lectins have been expressed in a number of plant species for the control for various insect pests. Both GNA and Con A significantly reduced longevity and fecundity at the highest concentration used (0.5% w/v). The effect on fecundity was shown to be related to a reduction in longevity.
• 3 Examination of the gustatory response of adult female E. pennicornis to honey diet containing 1% w/v GNA or Con A revealed no significant differences in consumption rate on first exposure. A significant reduction in the time spent feeding on diet containing 1% Con A was found on the second exposure to the diet. This could have been the result of either a conditioned aversion response or the intoxication of the insect. The effect of Con A on longevity and fecundity could have been, in part, a result of reduced food intake.
• 4 Studies on nutrition and egg resorption demonstrated that the availability of honey solution prolongs the longevity of E. pennicornis and the lack of a source of nutrition promotes oosorption.
• 5 A greater understanding of feeding behaviour and ovigeny is required to understand fully the potential ecological consequence of transgenic crops on parasitoid species through routes of direct exposure to transgene products.

     

Egg laying and development of Neotropical trichogrammatid species in artificial eggs

The goal of this work was to assess the suitability of two artificial diets for egg laying and development of Trichogramma atopovirilia Oatman & Platner, Trichogrammatoidea annulata De Santis, and Trichogramma bruni Nagaraja (all Hymenoptera: Trichogrammatidae). Additionally, the quality of wasps reared in vitro was compared with those reared in vivo. The ‘standard’ diet consisted of Diatraea saccharalis (Fabricius) (Lepidoptera: Crambidae) pupal holotissues (65%), chicken egg yolk (18%), fetal bovine serum (8.5%), lactalbumin hydrolysate (8.5%), and anticontaminants (0.3%). The ‘modified’ diet differed from the standard one only in the D. saccharalis pupal holotissues, that were replaced with Heliothis virescens (Fabricius) (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) ones. Females of the three trichogrammatid species laid eggs in artificial eggs containing any artificial medium, but the modified one received more eggs. Although the standard diet was accepted for oviposition by the three wasp species, no development occurred. On the modified diet, only T. atopovirilia was able to develop to adult emergence. Adult F1 were of a quality that was similar to insects reared in vivo.     

Determinants of egg load in the soybean aphid parasitoid Binodoxys communis

We used a series of laboratory studies to investigate factors contributing to variability in egg load of the parasitoid Binodoxys communis (Gahan) (Hymenoptera: Braconidae), a biological control agent of the soybean aphid, Aphis glycines Matsumura (Hemiptera: Aphididae). The change in egg load in newly emerged females over time was determined in response to three treatments: post‐eclosion temperature, sugar meals, and host density. Binodoxys communis females emerge with an average egg load of approximately 40 mature eggs that increases to approximately 200 eggs within 24 h of emergence. The egg maturation rate over this time period is higher when females are held at 26 °C than at 18 °C. And although the egg load of sugar‐fed females was slightly higher than that of starved females, this difference was not statistically significant. Binodoxys communis females that were held with 150 hosts for 8 h laid more eggs than those that were held with 30 hosts, and they also matured more eggs over the subsequent 16 h than those held with 30 hosts or no hosts at all. However, we detected no difference in the egg maturation pattern between B. communis females held with the low host density and that of control females held with no hosts at all. Thus, we conclude that enhanced egg maturation in the higher host‐density treatment is more likely explained by a rapid replenishing of partially depleted ovaries than a host‐induced stimulus of egg maturation per se. Taken together, these results suggest a strategy of maintaining a high egg load and thus avoiding or mitigating the negative effects of egg limitation.