The predominantly Afrotropical braconine wasp genus Bathyaulax Szepligeti is revised and an ident... more The predominantly Afrotropical braconine wasp genus Bathyaulax Szepligeti is revised and an identification key provided. A total of 51 species are recognized as valid; 27 species are described as
The D2 expansion region of 28S rDNA and the smaller D3 region of Afrocampsis griseosetosus van Ac... more The D2 expansion region of 28S rDNA and the smaller D3 region of Afrocampsis griseosetosus van Achterberg & Quicke, 1990, were analysed. Molecular and morphological evidence indicate that Afrocampsis is the sister group of Urosigalphus + Canalicephalus (forming a separate clade close to the tribe Diospilini) or that it is associated with a group of the subfamily Helconinae s.s.
Pseudoyelicones (Hymenoptera: Braconidae: Rogadinae), a new genus (type species: Pseudoyelicones ... more Pseudoyelicones (Hymenoptera: Braconidae: Rogadinae), a new genus (type species: Pseudoyelicones manoeli spec. nov.) from Brazil is described and illustrated. Two additional species from Brazil and Costa Rica are described.
This book takes a simple step-by-step approach to give a good grounding in the use of R for under... more This book takes a simple step-by-step approach to give a good grounding in the use of R for undergraduate/beginning postgraduate biology students. R is a freely available, open-source statistical programming environment which provides powerful statistical analysis tools and graphics outputs. This chapter provides some steps on how to use the book, from setting up the computer to running the code as you go along. The chapter structure is also introduced.
Although many adult aculeate hymenopteran parasitoids physically manipulate their hosts, such as ... more Although many adult aculeate hymenopteran parasitoids physically manipulate their hosts, such as transferring them to more sheltered places prior to oviposition (Quicke 1997), such behaviour is highly unusual amongst non-aculeate parasitoid wasps. Th us, members of the superfamily Ichneumonoidea, along with most other parasitic, wasps, normally oviposit in their hosts in situ though one hyperparasitic species has been observed to physically haul on the silk thread of an escaping host larva to bring it within reach (Yeargan and Braman 1989). We here report unusual carrying behaviour in the endemic Australian braconine wasp genus Pycnobraconoides. A single female wasp was observed and photographed at Barrington Tops National Park, Australia on 15th January 2010. Attention was drawn to it because it was carrying a case-making chrysomeline (Coleoptera, Chrysomelidae) larva, in its case, back and forth on a horizontal stem. Th e wasp was fi rst observed for about ten minutes as it moved ...
A review of the known specimens of the tribe Cosmophorini Capek, 1958, from the Palaeotropics is ... more A review of the known specimens of the tribe Cosmophorini Capek, 1958, from the Palaeotropics is given. Twenty-two species new to science are described and figured in this paper. Up to recently (Shaw, 1985; Chen & van Achterberg, 1997) the tribe was unknown from outside of the Holarctic region. Five Oriental species are included into Sinuatophorus van Achterberg, gen. nov. (type species: Sinuatophorus maximus van Achterberg, spec. nov. from Indonesia). Nine Oriental, two East Palaearctic, two Australian and four Afrotropical new species are included in the genus Cosmophorus Ratzeburg, 1848. A key to the Old World species of the Cosmophorini is added.
A new genus and species of Lysitermini, Atritermus pedestris Belokobylskij, Zaldivar-Riverón & Qu... more A new genus and species of Lysitermini, Atritermus pedestris Belokobylskij, Zaldivar-Riverón & Quicke, are described from Madagascar. The taxonomic placement of the new genus within Lysiterminae is discussed based on a phylogenetic analysis using 28S rDNA gene sequences. A key to world genera of Lysitermini is provided.Un nuevo género y especie de Lysitermini, Atritermus pedestris Belokobylskij, Zaldivar-Riverón & Quicke, son descritos para Madagascar. La ubicación taxonómica del nuevo género dentro de Lysiterminae es discutida con base en un análisis filogenético usando secuencias del gen ribosomal 28S. Se presenta una clave para los géneros de Lysitermini del mundo.
Research article Evolution of the parasitic wasp subfamily Rogadinae (Braconidae): phylogeny and ... more Research article Evolution of the parasitic wasp subfamily Rogadinae (Braconidae): phylogeny and evolution of lepidopteran host ranges and mummy characteristics
Parasitoids are predominantly insects that develop as larvae on or inside their host, also usuall... more Parasitoids are predominantly insects that develop as larvae on or inside their host, also usually another insect, ultimately killing it after various periods of parasitism when both parasitoid larva and host are alive. The very large wasp superfamily Ichneumonoidea is composed of parasitoids of other insects and comprises a minimum of 100,000 species. The superfamily is dominated by two similarly sized families, Braconidae and Ichneumonidae, which are collectively divided into approximately 80 subfamilies. Of these, six have been shown to release DNA-containing virus-like particles, encoded within the wasp genome, classified in the virus family Polydnaviridae. Polydnaviruses infect and have profound effects on host physiology in conjunction with various venom and ovarial secretions, and have attracted an immense amount of research interest. Physiological interactions between the remaining ichneumonoids and their hosts result from adult venom gland secretions and in some cases, ovar...
Eupholidoptera karatolosi Mofidi-Neyestanak & Quicke from Greece and E. mirzayani Mofidi-Neyestan... more Eupholidoptera karatolosi Mofidi-Neyestanak & Quicke from Greece and E. mirzayani Mofidi-Neyestanak & Quicke from Iran, two new species of bushcrickets (Orthoptera, Tettigoniidae: Platycleidini), are described and distinguished from closely related species based on morphology. Species relationships within Eupholidoptera Maran are discussed and some species are given new assignments. A simplified illustrated identification key to the species of Eupholidoptera is provided to accommodate the new species. They are being described since they have been used to generate DNA sequence data that will be published elsewhere as part of a phylogenetic study of the tribe Platycleidini.
The genera Conobregma van Achterberg and Facitorus van Achterberg are recorded from the Afrotropi... more The genera Conobregma van Achterberg and Facitorus van Achterberg are recorded from the Afrotropical region and the Indian subcontinent, respectively, for the first time, and two new species are described and illustrated: Conobregma bradpitti Quicke & Butcher, sp. n. from South Africa and Facitorus nasseri Ranjith & Quicke, sp. n. from India. Conobregma bradpitti sp. n. is intermediate between Conobregma which was described originally from the New World, and Asiabregma Belokobylskij, Zaldivar-Riverón & Maetô, which was coined for the S. E. Asian and East Palaearctic (Japanese) species described under the name Conobregma, plus more recently discovered taxa, but the differences between these genera are few and slight. Of the four previously proposed diagnostic characters for separating Asiabregma from Conobregma, the new species shares two with each, and therefore, the two genera are formally synonymised. Facitorus was previously known only from the East Palaearctic region and from S....
The vast majority of braconid wasps are parasitoids of other insects. Although a few cases of pur... more The vast majority of braconid wasps are parasitoids of other insects. Although a few cases of pure phytophagy (primary gall production and seed predation) are known, no previous entomophytophagous species (i.e. ones that display entomophagy and phytophagy sequentially), has been discovered among braconids. We describe the detailed biology and specialized larval morphology for the first confirmed entomophytophagous braconid species. Leaf galls on Garuga pinnata Roxb. (Burseraceae) in India, induced by the psyllid, Phacopteron lentiginosum Buckton (Hemiptera: Psylloidea, Phacopteronidae) were sampled throughout a period of several months and found to suffer a high level of attack by a new species Bracon garugaphagae Ranjith & Quicke which is here described and illustrated. The wasps oviposit singly into the galls without paralysing the psyllids. The larvae first attack psyllid nymphs which they seek out within the gall, kill them with a single bite and consume them. Unique dorsal abdo...
The predominantly Afrotropical braconine wasp genus Bathyaulax Szepligeti is revised and an ident... more The predominantly Afrotropical braconine wasp genus Bathyaulax Szepligeti is revised and an identification key provided. A total of 51 species are recognized as valid; 27 species are described as
The D2 expansion region of 28S rDNA and the smaller D3 region of Afrocampsis griseosetosus van Ac... more The D2 expansion region of 28S rDNA and the smaller D3 region of Afrocampsis griseosetosus van Achterberg & Quicke, 1990, were analysed. Molecular and morphological evidence indicate that Afrocampsis is the sister group of Urosigalphus + Canalicephalus (forming a separate clade close to the tribe Diospilini) or that it is associated with a group of the subfamily Helconinae s.s.
Pseudoyelicones (Hymenoptera: Braconidae: Rogadinae), a new genus (type species: Pseudoyelicones ... more Pseudoyelicones (Hymenoptera: Braconidae: Rogadinae), a new genus (type species: Pseudoyelicones manoeli spec. nov.) from Brazil is described and illustrated. Two additional species from Brazil and Costa Rica are described.
This book takes a simple step-by-step approach to give a good grounding in the use of R for under... more This book takes a simple step-by-step approach to give a good grounding in the use of R for undergraduate/beginning postgraduate biology students. R is a freely available, open-source statistical programming environment which provides powerful statistical analysis tools and graphics outputs. This chapter provides some steps on how to use the book, from setting up the computer to running the code as you go along. The chapter structure is also introduced.
Although many adult aculeate hymenopteran parasitoids physically manipulate their hosts, such as ... more Although many adult aculeate hymenopteran parasitoids physically manipulate their hosts, such as transferring them to more sheltered places prior to oviposition (Quicke 1997), such behaviour is highly unusual amongst non-aculeate parasitoid wasps. Th us, members of the superfamily Ichneumonoidea, along with most other parasitic, wasps, normally oviposit in their hosts in situ though one hyperparasitic species has been observed to physically haul on the silk thread of an escaping host larva to bring it within reach (Yeargan and Braman 1989). We here report unusual carrying behaviour in the endemic Australian braconine wasp genus Pycnobraconoides. A single female wasp was observed and photographed at Barrington Tops National Park, Australia on 15th January 2010. Attention was drawn to it because it was carrying a case-making chrysomeline (Coleoptera, Chrysomelidae) larva, in its case, back and forth on a horizontal stem. Th e wasp was fi rst observed for about ten minutes as it moved ...
A review of the known specimens of the tribe Cosmophorini Capek, 1958, from the Palaeotropics is ... more A review of the known specimens of the tribe Cosmophorini Capek, 1958, from the Palaeotropics is given. Twenty-two species new to science are described and figured in this paper. Up to recently (Shaw, 1985; Chen & van Achterberg, 1997) the tribe was unknown from outside of the Holarctic region. Five Oriental species are included into Sinuatophorus van Achterberg, gen. nov. (type species: Sinuatophorus maximus van Achterberg, spec. nov. from Indonesia). Nine Oriental, two East Palaearctic, two Australian and four Afrotropical new species are included in the genus Cosmophorus Ratzeburg, 1848. A key to the Old World species of the Cosmophorini is added.
A new genus and species of Lysitermini, Atritermus pedestris Belokobylskij, Zaldivar-Riverón & Qu... more A new genus and species of Lysitermini, Atritermus pedestris Belokobylskij, Zaldivar-Riverón & Quicke, are described from Madagascar. The taxonomic placement of the new genus within Lysiterminae is discussed based on a phylogenetic analysis using 28S rDNA gene sequences. A key to world genera of Lysitermini is provided.Un nuevo género y especie de Lysitermini, Atritermus pedestris Belokobylskij, Zaldivar-Riverón & Quicke, son descritos para Madagascar. La ubicación taxonómica del nuevo género dentro de Lysiterminae es discutida con base en un análisis filogenético usando secuencias del gen ribosomal 28S. Se presenta una clave para los géneros de Lysitermini del mundo.
Research article Evolution of the parasitic wasp subfamily Rogadinae (Braconidae): phylogeny and ... more Research article Evolution of the parasitic wasp subfamily Rogadinae (Braconidae): phylogeny and evolution of lepidopteran host ranges and mummy characteristics
Parasitoids are predominantly insects that develop as larvae on or inside their host, also usuall... more Parasitoids are predominantly insects that develop as larvae on or inside their host, also usually another insect, ultimately killing it after various periods of parasitism when both parasitoid larva and host are alive. The very large wasp superfamily Ichneumonoidea is composed of parasitoids of other insects and comprises a minimum of 100,000 species. The superfamily is dominated by two similarly sized families, Braconidae and Ichneumonidae, which are collectively divided into approximately 80 subfamilies. Of these, six have been shown to release DNA-containing virus-like particles, encoded within the wasp genome, classified in the virus family Polydnaviridae. Polydnaviruses infect and have profound effects on host physiology in conjunction with various venom and ovarial secretions, and have attracted an immense amount of research interest. Physiological interactions between the remaining ichneumonoids and their hosts result from adult venom gland secretions and in some cases, ovar...
Eupholidoptera karatolosi Mofidi-Neyestanak & Quicke from Greece and E. mirzayani Mofidi-Neyestan... more Eupholidoptera karatolosi Mofidi-Neyestanak & Quicke from Greece and E. mirzayani Mofidi-Neyestanak & Quicke from Iran, two new species of bushcrickets (Orthoptera, Tettigoniidae: Platycleidini), are described and distinguished from closely related species based on morphology. Species relationships within Eupholidoptera Maran are discussed and some species are given new assignments. A simplified illustrated identification key to the species of Eupholidoptera is provided to accommodate the new species. They are being described since they have been used to generate DNA sequence data that will be published elsewhere as part of a phylogenetic study of the tribe Platycleidini.
The genera Conobregma van Achterberg and Facitorus van Achterberg are recorded from the Afrotropi... more The genera Conobregma van Achterberg and Facitorus van Achterberg are recorded from the Afrotropical region and the Indian subcontinent, respectively, for the first time, and two new species are described and illustrated: Conobregma bradpitti Quicke & Butcher, sp. n. from South Africa and Facitorus nasseri Ranjith & Quicke, sp. n. from India. Conobregma bradpitti sp. n. is intermediate between Conobregma which was described originally from the New World, and Asiabregma Belokobylskij, Zaldivar-Riverón & Maetô, which was coined for the S. E. Asian and East Palaearctic (Japanese) species described under the name Conobregma, plus more recently discovered taxa, but the differences between these genera are few and slight. Of the four previously proposed diagnostic characters for separating Asiabregma from Conobregma, the new species shares two with each, and therefore, the two genera are formally synonymised. Facitorus was previously known only from the East Palaearctic region and from S....
The vast majority of braconid wasps are parasitoids of other insects. Although a few cases of pur... more The vast majority of braconid wasps are parasitoids of other insects. Although a few cases of pure phytophagy (primary gall production and seed predation) are known, no previous entomophytophagous species (i.e. ones that display entomophagy and phytophagy sequentially), has been discovered among braconids. We describe the detailed biology and specialized larval morphology for the first confirmed entomophytophagous braconid species. Leaf galls on Garuga pinnata Roxb. (Burseraceae) in India, induced by the psyllid, Phacopteron lentiginosum Buckton (Hemiptera: Psylloidea, Phacopteronidae) were sampled throughout a period of several months and found to suffer a high level of attack by a new species Bracon garugaphagae Ranjith & Quicke which is here described and illustrated. The wasps oviposit singly into the galls without paralysing the psyllids. The larvae first attack psyllid nymphs which they seek out within the gall, kill them with a single bite and consume them. Unique dorsal abdo...
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