The family Chrysopidae is composed of approximately 1,200 species distributed in 80 genera (Freitas & Penny 2001). Larvae and adults exhibit distinct feeding habits, while adults are predators and/or consume pollen, nectar, and honeydew, all larvae are generalist predators. Larvae feed on various insects that are considered agricultural pests, such as aphids, mealybugs, and whiteflies, as well as lepidopteran eggs and larvae (Canard 2001; Freitas 2001; Papas et al. 2011). Green lacewings have a wide geographic distribution, being recorded worldwide except in Antarctica (Brooks & Barnard 1990). The genus Chrysoperla Steinmann, 1964 is one of the most studied green lacewing genera and comprises 36 described species. Only four species of this genus occur

The larval parasitoid Cotesia flavipes (Cameron) (Hymenoptera: Braconidae) is an important biological control agent of the sugarcane borer, Diatraea saccharalis (Fabricius) (Lepidoptera: Crambidae). This exotic parasitoid has been mass reared for field release since its introduction in the 1970s. Insects are exchanged between labs or introduced from the field, but without basic studies or criteria. Thus, the objective of this study was to evaluate the genetic variability of insects from six Brazilian States (São Paulo, Minas Gerais, Paraná, Goiás, Maranhão, and Alagoas) using microsatellites. Analysis of five loci using at least 22 females from each location was performed. The molecular analysis made possible to verify that four out of the five loci analyzed were polymorphic. The allele frequencies of three loci were in agreement with the Hardy-Weinberg Equilibrium for all insects of all regions. It was also observed that five alleles were exclusively presented in only two loci. The variation among and within populations was 24.65 and 75.34%, respectively. The estimated shared genotypes between the C. flavipes individuals showed that K = 2 was the most likely number of genetic groups causing the current variation, as well as high shared genotypes from these groups of the individuals. Considering all the analyzed loci, the genetic differentiation was at a moderate level. We suggest a possible mixture of biological materials based on genetic distances and the degree of structuring displayed.

This work aimed to elucidate the distribution of Chrysoperla externa haplotypes and investigate whether it exhibits structure based on genetic composition as opposed to geographic location. The genetic diversity of C. externa, analyzed by AMOVA using the COI and 16S rRNA genes as mitochondrial markers, showed significant haplotype structure arising from genetic differences that was not associated with sampling location. This was reflected in the network grouping. Bayesian inference showed that haplotype distribution may have its origins in C. externa divergence into two distinct clades, which dispersed to various locations, and their subsequent diversification. The evolutionary history of C. externa may include multiple ancestral haplotypes differentiating within the same geographic area to generate the current broad genetic diversity, so that the earlier geographical history has been erased, and now we have highlighted its more recent genetic history.

The species of the genus Ceraeochrysa, known as green lacewings or trash-carriers, are widely distributed along the Americas and its islands. In Brazil, 28 species are found, including Ceraeochrysa cincta (Schneider), Ceraeochrysa claveri (Navás), and Ceraeochrysa cubana (Hagen). These species are recorded on many crops, where they are often used for biological control. For this use, knowledge of the genetic features of the species is extremely important because they are associated to the species’ ability to withstand different conditions in new environments, such as variations of temperature and presence of pathogens. However, little is known about the genetic features of Ceraeochrysa species. Here, we analyze and compare the distribution of the genetic variability of C. cincta, C. claveri, and C. cubana in agroecosystem populations of southeast Brazil. We found a high genetic diversity in each of the three species, and no strong genetic structure was detected, such that genetic diversity is broadly shared among the crops and localities analyzed. We can conclude that there was a high gene flow among the sampled Ceraeochrysa populations (natural or driven by anthropic action) since the exchange of seedlings among crops can lead to the distribution of the specimens.