No abstract

The wasp family Heterogynaidae is described and previous phylogenetic hypotheses on its position within the Apoidea are discussed. The higher level phylogeny of the Apoidea based on sequence data of a nuclear gene, longwavelength (LW) opsin, is analysed for the first time. Although preliminary because of limited taxon sampling and use of a single gene, the analysis reveals some significant results. Monophyly of the Apoidea, including the Heterogynaidae, is supported strongly, as is monophyly of Heterogynaidae. The monophyly of the bees is also confirmed, but support is rather weak. Monophyly of the Ampulicidae þ Sphecidae, which is the sister group to the remaining Apoidea (Crabronidae þ Anthophila þ Heterogynaidae), is confirmed. Our results imply that Sphecidae may be paraphyletic with respect to Ampulicidae, and Crabronidae with respect to bees and Heterogynaidae. Remarkably, Heterogynaidae is well nested within the Crabronidae þ Anthophila clade, which is in conflict with the morphological data. This result implies that Heterogynaidae may not have originated from a basal node within Apoidea, as previously considered, and that the character states presumed to be plesiomorphies may instead be homoplasies. Our analysis confirms the value of LW opsin in resolving deeper nodes within Apoidea. A new species, Heterogyna nocticola Ohl, from the Sultanate of Oman is described based on both sexes, with a diagnosis, information on distribution and collecting period. A key to the Palaearctic species of Heterogynaidae is presented.

Mantid flies (Mantispidae) are an unusual group of lacewings (Neuroptera). Adults markedly resemble mantids in their general appearance and predatory behavior. The larvae of most mantispids exclusively prey on spider eggs, whereby the first instar larva is highly mobile and active and the other two larval stages immobile and maggot like. One of the larval strategies to pursue spider eggs is spider-boarding. Here, I report on the first record of a fossil mantispid larva. It was found in Middle Eocene Baltic amber, and it is the first record of Mantispidae from this deposit. The larva is attached to a clubionoid spider in a position typical for most mantispid larvae, and, thus, it is also the first fossil record of this complex larval behavior and development.

No abstract

Apoid wasps and bees (Apoidea) are an ecologically and morphologically diverse group of aculeate Hymenoptera (ants, bees and wasps). During the last decades, significant progress has been made in illuminating the phylogenetic relationships of the major Apoidea lineages. However, some uncertainties have remained. In this study, we present results from re‐investigating the phylogeny of Apoidea by including genome skimming data of key taxa that were missing in previous investigations: a representative of Entomosericini (tribe of the former Pemphredoninae) and a representative of Eremiaspheciinae (subfamily of the former ‘Crabronidae’). We additionally skimmed the genomes of two Heterogyna species (Heterogynaidae). Our results from applying concatenation and coalescence‐based phylogenetic approaches confirm the previously suggested sister group relationship of Ammoplanidae and bees. They also corroborate most taxonomic changes published in 2018 granting eight lineages of the former family ‘Crabronidae’ family status. However, some of our analyses indicate that the families Pemphredonidae and Psenidae could be para‐ or polyphyletic. After carefully assessing topological discordance and data quality, the exact placements of Heterogyna and of the genera Eremiasphecium and Entomosericus in the apoid wasp phylogeny remain ambiguous. However, our analyses indicate that inclusion of Entomosericus and Eremiasphecium in any of the currently accepted apoid wasp families cannot be well justified, and we consequently suggest raising Entomosericinae and Eremiaspheciini to family rank, respectively, to acknowledge this situation in the apoid classification: Entomosericidae Dalla Torre, 1897 (stat. n.) and Eremiaspheciidae Menke, 1967 (stat. n.).

Hymenoptera show a great variation in reproductive potential and nesting behavior, from thousands of eggs in sawflies to just a dozen in nest-provisioning wasps. Reduction in reproductive potential in evolutionary derived Hymenoptera is often facilitated by advanced behavioral mechanisms and nesting strategies. Here we describe a surprising nesting behavior that was previously unknown in the entire animal kingdom: the use of a vestibular cell filled with dead ants in a new spider wasp (Hymenoptera: Pompilidae) species collected with trap nests in South-East China. We scientifically describe the ‘Bone-house Wasp’ as Deuteragenia ossarium sp. nov., named after graveyard bone-houses or ossuaries. We show that D. ossarium nests are less vulnerable to natural enemies than nests of other sympatric trap-nesting wasps, suggesting an effective nest protection strategy, most likely by utilizing chemical cues emanating from the dead ants.

Mantidflies (Mantispidae) are an unusual and charismatic group of predatory lacewings (Neuroptera), whereby the adults represent a remarkable case of morphological and functional convergence with praying mantises (Mantodea). The evolutionary history of mantidflies remains largely unknown due to a scarcity of fossils. Here, we report the discovery of a highly diverse palaeofauna of mantidflies from the mid-Cretaceous (lowermost Cenomanian) of Myanmar. The raptorial forelegs of these mantidflies possess highly divergent morphological modifications, some of which are unknown among modern mantidflies, e.g. the presence of forked basal profemoral spines or even the complete loss of foreleg spine-like structures. A phylogenetic analysis of Mantispidae reveals a pattern of raptorial foreleg evolution across the family. The high species diversity and disparate foreleg characters might have been driven by diverse niches of predator–prey interplay in the complex tropical forest ecosystem of the mid-Cretaceous.

Adult Mantispidae are general predators of arthropods equipped with raptorial forelegs. The three larval instars display varying degrees of hypermetamorphic ontogeny. The larval stages exhibit a remarkable life history ranging from specialised predators of nest-building hymenopteran larvae and pupa, to specialised predators of spider-eggs, to possible generalist predators of immature insects. Noteworthy advances in our understanding of the biology of Mantispidae has come to light over the past two decades which are compiled and addressed in this review. All interactions of mantispids with other arthropods are tabled and their biology critically discussed and compared to the current classification of the taxon. Additionally, the ambigous systematics within Mantispidae and between Mantispidae and its sister groups, Rhachiberothidae and Berotidae, is reviewed. Considering the biology, systematics, distribution of higher taxonomic levels and the fossil record, the historical biogeography of the group is critically discussed with Gondwana as the epicenter of Mantispidae radiation.