Here we elucidate and justify a DNA barcode approach to insect species description that can be applied to name tens of thousands of species of Ichneumonoidea and many other species-rich taxa. Each description consists of a lateral habitus image of the specimen, a COI barcode diagnosis, and the holotype specimen information required by the International Code of Zoological Nomenclature. We believe this approach, or a slight modification of it, will be useful for many other underdescribed hyperdiverse taxa, especially in the tropics. Due to the extreme species-richness of the Ichneumonoidea, the very low percentage of described species, and the lack of detailed biological information for most described species, the standard taxonomic approach is inefficient and overwhelmingly time consuming. A DNA barcode-based approach to initial description will provide a solid foundation of species hypotheses from which more comprehensive descriptions can be developed as other data, time, and budgets permit. Here we elucidate this view and detailed methodology that can generally be applied to species-rich underdescribed taxa. A real example is given by describing species in two genera, Hemichoma and Zelomorpha, reared from the Área de Conservación Guanacaste in northwestern Costa Rica. The generic type species Zelomorpha arizonensis is given a DNA barcode diagnosis and the following new species are described: Zelomorpha angelsolisi,
If the current rate of climate change continues, the composition, distribution, and relative population sizes of species in the higher latitudes of the Northern Hemisphere are likely to change considerably. Understanding the magnitude of this change requires a well-documented baseline against which to compare. Although specimen-less observations can help augment such a baseline for the minority of organisms that can be confidently identified in the field or from photographs, the vast majority of species are small-bodied invertebrates, primarily arthropods, that can only be identified from preserved specimens and (or) their tissues. Museum staff archive specimens and make them and their data available for research. This paper describes a number of challenges to the goal of thorough documentation of high-latitude arthropod biodiversity and their potential solutions. Examples are provided from ongoing and recently completed research that demonstrates the value of museum specimens and the sharing of their data via global portals like GBIF.org.Key words: Arctic, biodiversity, Arthropoda, monitoring, inventory, taxonomic bottleneck.Résumé : Si le taux actuel du changement climatique se maintient, la composition, la répar-tition et les tailles de population relatives d'espèces dans les latitudes plus hautes de l'hémi-sphère nord sont susceptibles de changer considérablement. Pour comprendre l'ampleur de ce changement, il faut une ligne de référence bien documentée contre laquelle on peut comparer. Bien que les observations sans spécimens puissent aider à augmenter une telle ligne de référence pour la minorité d'organismes qui peuvent être identifiés avec assurance sur le terrain ou à partir de photographies, la grande majorité d'espèces est composée d'inverté-brés à petit corps, principalement des arthropodes, qui ne peuvent être identifiés qu'à partir de spécimens préservés et (ou) de leurs tissus. Le personnel de musées archive les spécimens et les rend disponibles ainsi que les données connexes aux fins de recherche. Dans cet article, on décrit un certain nombre de défis à l'encontre du but de la documentation minutieuse de la biodiversité d'arthropodes à hautes latitudes et les solutions potentielles à ces défis. On fournit des exemples de recherche en cours et récemment complétée qui démontr-ent la valeur de spécimens de musée et le partage de données via des portails mondiaux comme le Système mondial d'informations sur la biodiversité (GBIF.org).
Fifty new combinations are proposed for species of Hemichoma and Zelomorpha (Hymenoptera, Braconidae, Agathidinae), along with four combinations that are renewed to a previous status.
Hemp is a newly (re)introduced crop to United States and California agriculture. A study was initiated in the summer of 2021 to survey the arthropods present in hemp in two regions of California: Fresno County in the Central Valley and Ventura County along the Central Coast. Eight hemp plots were sampled every two weeks from August to mid-October using a combination of D-vac samples, leaf collections, and visual observations. All samples were processed and ultimately recorded as the total number of specimens collected per morphospecies across all sampling dates, further broken down to express the number of specimens collected from the Central Valley and the Central Coast. D-vac sampling was the most reliable method for specimen collection and led to the recovery of arthropods from 11 orders, 69 families, and 157 morphospecies. Approximately 13,000 specimens were collected and processed, half of which were whiteflies (Hemiptera: Aleyrodidae). Of the specimens recovered, Hemiptera was the most representative order (with and without whiteflies), followed by Thysanoptera and then Hymenoptera. The most frequently collected specimen was Engytatus modestus (Hemiptera: Miridae). Very few pest species were recovered, cannabis aphid (Phorodon cannabis) being the only one that was observed in any noticeable density. Many generalist predators and parasitoid wasps were also collected. Findings from this survey provide baseline information on the arthropod species present in California hemp. This survey will be repeated and expanded in future growing seasons.
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