Description of the species of Dicoelothorax Ashmead (Chalcidoidea, Eucharitidae) and biology of D. platycerus Ashmead

Murray²

2013

JHR

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The immature stages and behavior of Pseudometagea schwarzii (Ashmead) (Hymenoptera: Eucharitidae: Eucharitini) are described, and the presence of an endoparasitic planidium that undergoes growth-feeding in the larva of the host ant (Lasius neoniger Emery) is confirmed. Bayesian inference and parsimony ancestral state reconstruction are used to map the evolution of endoparasitism across the eucharitid-perilampid clade. Endoparasitism is proposed to have evolved independently three times within Eucharitidae, including once in Pseudometagea Ashmead, and at least twice in Perilampus Latreille. Endoparasitism is independent as an evolutionary trait from other life history traits such as differences in growth and development of the first-instar larva, hypermetamorphic larval morphology, and other biological traits, including koinobiosis.

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The life history of Pseudometagea schwarzii, with a discussion of the evolution of endoparasitism and koinobiosis in Eucharitidae and Perilampidae (Chalcidoidea)

Murray²

2013

JHR

Self Cite

“…This species has been cited as a host for Dicoelothorax platycerus , Galearia latreillei (Guérin‐Méneville) and Kapala sp. (Lachaud et al , ; Torréns & Heraty, ; Torréns, ; Torréns & Fidalgo, ). Some Ectatomma are attacked by more than one genus of eucharitid; for example, Ectatomma tuberculatum (Olivier) is attacked by Dilocantha , Isomerala and Kapala (Pérez‐Lachaud et al , ).…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 97%

“…Two nests contained ant larvae parasitized by planidia (one of 39 ant larvae parasitized; two of two ant larvae parasitized), and one nest had a pupa of Kapala sp. The association of the planidia found parasitizing the ant larva is difficult because in the same site we collected Dicoelothorax platycerus , Galearia latreillei and Kapala sp., which are all potential parasitoids of E. brunneum (Torréns & Heraty, ; Torréns, ; Torréns & Fidalgo, ). The only means of confirming an exact association would be by discovery of a developed eucharitid pupa within the host cocoon.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Biology and phylogenetic placement of a new species of Lasiokapala Ashmead from Argentina (Hymenoptera: Eucharitidae)

Torréns

Murray

et al. 2016

Systematic Entomology

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Within the ant-parasitic wasp family Eucharitidae (Hymenoptera), the Kapala clade is a monophyletic group attacking Ectatomminae and Ponerinae. Members often express extreme phenotypic features, especially in the morphology of the paired frenal spines. Although the means of attack and developmental history of the eucharitid wasps within the ant nest are very similar, the means by which they oviposit and optimize encounters of their active first-instar larvae with ants is highly variable. The relationships and life-history strategies of Lasiokapala Ashmead (Hymenoptera: Eucharitidae) and related taxa within the Kapala clade are discussed based on phylogenetic analyses of morphological and molecular data. Descriptions are provided for the adults (both sexes), eggs and planidia of Lasiokapala spiralicornis sp.n. from Santiago del Estero (Argentina). Females deposit their eggs on the underside of leaves of Sida cordifolia L. (Malvaceae) and the likely host is postulated to be the genus Ectatomma (Formicidae: Ectatomminae). Even within a closely related group of genera, there is extreme independent divergence in morphology of scutellar spines, antennae and other features, but the larvae and larval biology are highly conserved across a much larger group of Eucharitidae. This published work has been registered in ZooBank, http://zoobank.org/urn:lsid: zoobank.org:pub:3536985B-D193-4771-BFA3-25A59EFF6AB5.

“…This type of oviposition is known for Dicoelothorax , Lasiokapala , Latina , Neolirata and Thoracantha (Torréns, ; Torréns & Heraty, ; Torréns et al ., ). This oviposition type is not exclusive to this group, and other Kapala Clade species also oviposit onto the surface leaves (Clausen, ; Berry, ; Torréns et al ., ; Torréns & Heraty, ; Torréns & Heraty, ; Torréns et al ., ). Specifically, Kapala Clade members usually oviposit on the ventral sides of the leaf with the eggs tucked under the plant spicules or pubescence, with the eggs parallel to the surface.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 98%

Neotropical ant parasitoids (Hymenoptera: Eucharitidae): interpreting taxonomy, phylogeny and divergent morphologies

Murray

2019

Systematic Entomology

The Neotropical ‘Kapala Clade’ is a group of 13 described genera of ant parasitoids that includes some of the most morphologically bizarre members in the family Eucharitidae (Chalcidoidea). Across the Kapala Clade, various conspicuous morphological modifications – notably the long mesoscutellar spines – have led to the description of numerous genera. Monophyly of the clade has been supported in morphological and molecular analyses; however, relationships among genera within the clade are not easily resolved. Within this clade, there is one especially problematic taxon: Kapala Cameron is a common, diverse and easily recognizable genus, with species distributed across the Neotropical region north into the southern Nearctic, and one disjunct species found in the Afrotropical region. However, Kapala is defined by pleisiomorphic features – lacking the derived characters of the other Kapala Clade genera – with previous molecular evidence showing this genus to be paraphyletic. To evaluate relationships among Kapala Clade genera, we use a comprehensive sampling of 195 taxa and a molecular dataset of five gene regions. A morphological matrix of 52 characters was analysed both separately and combined with molecular data, which allowed rare genera to be incorporated into the phylogeny. Molecular results were at odds with the historic generic relationships, and the genus Kapala was rendered polyphyletic by two distinct clades of other kapaline genera. We find that there were bursts of morphological change clustered in the phylogeny; however, these are not correlated with higher rates of diversification. We discuss the timing of divergence events, analyse diversification patterns, and evaluate life‐history information within a phylogenetic context.