No abstract

No abstract

The Emerald Jewel Wasp Ampulexcompressa (Fabricius) is an endoparasitoid of the American cockroach Periplanetaamericana (Linnaeus). Its host subjugation strategy is unusual in that envenomation is directed into the host central nervous system, eliciting a long-term behavior modification termed hypokinesia, turning stung cockroaches into a lethargic and compliant, but not paralyzed, living food supply for wasp offspring. A.compressa manipulates hypokinesic cockroaches into a burrow, where it oviposits a single egg onto a mesothoracic leg, hatching three days later. Herein we describe the life history and developmental timing of A.compressa. Using head capsule measurements and observations of mandibular morphology, we found that the larvae develop through three instars, the first two ectoparasitoid, and the third exclusively endoparasitoid. The first two instars have mandibles sufficient for piercing and cutting the cuticle respectively, while the third instar has a larger and blunter mandibular structure. During ecdysis to the third instar, the larva enters the body cavity of the cockroach, consuming internal tissues selectively, including fat body and skeletal muscle, but sparing the gut and Malpighian tubules. The developmental timing to pupation is similar between males and females, but cocoon volume and mass, and pupation duration are sexually dimorphic. Further, we show that the difference in cocoon mass and volume can be used to predict sex before eclosion, which is valuable for studies in venom pharmacology, as only females produce venom.

Guapinannus Wygodzinsky, 1951 (Hemiptera: Schizopteridae) was described based on a single female specimen from Costa Rica. Some additional specimens representing this genus have since become available and were incorporated into a comparative male genitalic study across Dipsocoromorpha and into combined molecular and morphological hypotheses of the infraorder. However, the species-level diversity of Guapinannus has remained unexplored and undocumented. Based on examination of 264 specimens from central and South America, we here revise the taxonomy of Guapinannus, describing 19 species as new (Guapinannus anaticulus, sp. n.; Guapinannus artus, sp. n.; Guapinannus auriculus, sp. n.; Guapinannus castigatus, sp. n.; Guapinannus clava, sp. n.; Guapinannus dispar, sp. n.; Guapinannus falcis, sp. n.; Guapinannus graziae, sp. n.; Guapinannus minutus, sp. n.; Guapinannus orbiculatus, sp. n.; Guapinannus plurilobus, sp. n.; Guapinannus policis, sp. n.; Guapinannus robustus, sp. n.; Guapinannus sinuosus, sp. n.; Guapinannus tatumbia, sp. n.; Guapinannus tenuis, sp. n.; Guapinannus tergus, sp. n.; Guapinannus trilobus, sp. n.; Guapinannus uncus, sp. n.). In addition, we provide photos of the female holotype of Guapinannus bierigi Wygodzinsky, 1951, SEM documentation for Guapinannus clava, sp. n., habitus photos and a map for all species, and line drawings of male genitalic features for all species for which males are known.

With only about 320 described species, Dipsocoromorpha is currently one of the smallest and least studied infraorders of Heteroptera (Hemiptera). Specimens are small (often 1 – 2 mm), live in cryptic habitats, are collected using specialized techniques, and curated material in natural history collections is scarce. Despite estimates of vast numbers of yet to be described species, species discovery and documentation has slowed compared to peak taxonomic activity in the mid-20th century. We show, using the genus Peloridinannus Wygodzinsky, 1951 (Hemiptera: Schizopteridae) as an example, that curating specimens from bulk samples already housed in natural history collections is an effective way of advancing our understanding of the biodiversity of this charismatic group of true bugs. Peloridinannus Wygodzinsky was described as a monotypic genus, known only from two female specimens from Costa Rica. Based on examination of 59 specimens from Costa Rica, Panama, Ecuador, and Peru, six new species of Peloridinannus are described, Peloridinannus curly sp.n., Peloridinannus larry sp.n., Peloridinannus laxicosta sp.n., Peloridinannus moe sp.n., Peloridinannus sinefenestra sp.n., and Peloridinannus stenomargaritatus sp.n. Further, males are documented for the first time for this genus. The holotype and paratype of Peloridinannus margaritatus Wygodzinsky are shown to belong to different species, and the paratype is transferred to Peloridinannus stenomargaritatus sp.n. Male and female genitalic characters, as well as wing venation and wing structure characters are documented using digital images including scanning and confocal micrographs. This taxonomic revision and morphological documentation will also provide a foundation for any future investigations into the enigmatic taxonomic position of Peloridinannus within the Schizopteridae.