The parasitoid wasp family Ichneumonidae is arguably one of the groups for which current knowledge lags most strongly behind their enormous diversity. In a five-day meeting in Basel (Switzerland) in June 2019, 22 researchers from 14 countries met to discuss the most important issues in ichneumonid research, including increasing the speed of species discovery, resolving higher-level relationships, and studying the radiation of these parasitoids onto various host groups through time. All agreed that it is time to advertise ichneumonid research more broadly in the scientific community and thereby attract young talents to this group for which specialists are sorely lacking. In order to popularize the group, we here suggest a new name for the family, “Darwin wasps”, to reflect the pivotal role they played in convincing Charles Darwin that not all of creation could have been created by a benevolent god. We hope that the name catches on, and that Darwin wasps start buzzing more loudly across all disciplines of biology.

We determined and analyzed risk factors of hepatitis C virus (HCV)-infected Brazilian hemophiliacs according to their virological, clinical and epidemiological characteristics. A cross-sectional and retrospective study of 469 hemophiliacs was carried out at a Brazilian blood center starting in October 1997. The prevalence of HCV infection, HCV genotypes and factors associated with HCV RNA detection was determined. The seroprevalence of anti-HCV antibodies (ELISA-3.0) was 44.6% (209/469). Virological, clinical and epidemiological assessments were completed for 162 positive patients. There were seven (4.3%) anti-HCV seroconversions between October 1992 and October 1997. During the same period, 40.8% of the positive anti-HCV hemophiliacs had abnormal alanine transaminase (ALT) levels. Plasma HCV RNA was detected by nested-RT-PCR in 116 patients (71.6%). RFLP analysis showed the following genotype distribution: HCV-1 in 98 hemophiliacs (84.5%), HCV-3 in ten (8.6%), HCV-4 in three (2.6%), HCV-2 in one (0.9%), and not typeable in four cases (3.4%). Univariate analysis indicated that older age (P = 0.017) and abnormal ALT levels (P = 0.010) were associated with HCV viremia, while the presence of inhibitor antibodies (P = 0.024) and HBsAg (P = 0.007) represented a protective factor against the presence of HCV RNA. These findings may contribute to a better understanding of the relationship between HCV infection and hemophilia.

The taxonomy of Neotropical species of Stauropoctonus is reviewed, with redescriptions of S. bicarinatus and S. excarinatus, the description of four new Brazilian species, S. amazonensis sp. n., S. leotacilioi sp. n., S. michelle sp. n., and S. rectus sp. n., and for the first time with a detailed study of the male genitalia of the genus. Additionally, we provide a key to the world Stauropoctonus species.

American Pseudophasmatinae stick insects are often colorful, winged or apterous, with or without scale-shaped tegmina, with an area apicalis on all tibiae, and either with a ventromedian carina on the meso and metafemora, or with broad profemora, as long as head, pro- and mesonotum combined (Zompro, 2004). In the egg, micropylar plate is externally located in the middle of the dorsal surface, and internally appears of the open type. Among Pseudophasmatinae, the genus Tithonophasma Zompro, 2004 has a single species, Tithonophasma tithonus (Gray, 1835). Although this species is frequent in museum collections (Zompro, 2004), accurate morphological and biological information potentially useful in phylogenetic approaches are still missing.

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The revision of Leucospis Fabricius (Hymenoptera: Leucospidae) by Bouček (1974a) is updated for the New World species based on material deposited in Brazilian collections. We provide a key to the New World species including all species described after Bouček, describe two new Brazilian species, Leucospis copepucu sp. nov. and L. muru sp. nov. describe the male of Leucospis opalescens Weld, 1922, and provide diagnoses and illustrations for ten other Brazilian species and one Argentinian species and comments on new geographic records for Brazilian species, with maps.

The taxonomic knowledge about Brazilian Ichneumonidae species is still incipient, especially for groups poorly represented in the Neotropics, like Ctenopelmatinae. The genus Lathrolestes Förster, 1869, mainly Holarctic, is here recorded for the first time to Brazil, with description of L. piranga Lima & Kumagai sp. n. and L. pitunauassu Lima & Kumagai sp. n. Additionally, a key to the Neotropical species is provided.

The Japanese species of the ichneumonid genus Stauropoctonus Brauns, are revised. As a result, three species are recognized. Stauropoctonus infuscus (Uchida, ) stat. rev., previously synonymized with S. bombycivorus (Gravenhorst, ), is recognized as a valid species and re‐described. Stauropoctonus bombycivorus, which has already been recorded in Japan, is also recognized and re‐described based on Japanese specimens. Stauropoctonus aurantiacus sp. nov. is described based on a single male specimen from Yakushima Island, Kagoshima Prefecture, Japan. Stauropoctonus nigrithorax Lee & Kim, syn. nov. is newly synonymized with S. bombycivorus. Additionally, a key to the Stauropoctonus species and discussions on their phenology and collection methods are provided.