Phylogeny of the parasitic wasp subfamily Charipinae (Hymenoptera, Cynipoidea, Figitidae)

Abstract

The Charipinae are a major group of hyperparasitoids of Hemiptera. Here, we present the first cladistic analysis of this subfamily's internal relationships, based on 96 morphological characters of adults. The data matrix was analysed using uniformly weighted parsimony. The effects of using alternative weighting schemes were explored by performing additional searches employing implied weights criteria. One of the caveats of implied weights analysis is that it lacks an objective criterion for selecting the value of the concavity function. In the present study, differential weighting was used to explore the sensitivity of our results to the alternative assumptions made in the analysis and to select one of the most parsimonious trees under equal weights, which we regard as being the hypothesis that minimizes the amount of ad hoc assumptions. The validity of the two existing tribes and the monophyly of all the genera of Charipinae were tested, in particular the cosmopolitan and highly species-rich Alloxysta and Phaenoglyphis , which appear repeatedly in ecological and biochemical studies of host-parasitoid associations. The evolution of several major characters and the relationships between genera are discussed. On the basis of the phylogenetic results, we discuss a number of taxonomic issues. A new classification of the subfamily is proposed in which no tribes are maintained, Carvercharips is synonymyzed with Alloxysta , and the creation of a new genus from Nepal is justified. Our analysis points to the need for a world revision of the basal genus Phaenoglyphis , which is shown as paraphyletic.

Description of Four New Species ofDilytaFörster (Hymenoptera: Figitidae: Charipinae) from the Afrotropical Region

“…4). For this reason, we decided to include these five African species in the matrix of Paretas-Martínez et al (2007) to see if they formed a monophyletic group together with Dilyta subclavata, but all of them were grouped in a polytomy together with Dilapothor carverae and the clade formed by the two species of Thoreauana. The African Dilyta + Dilyta subclavata only formed a clade in 16% of the trees (Jackknife support).…”

“…Eight genera of Charipinae are recognized (Carver 1993;Ronquist 1999;Paretas-Martínez et al 2007, 2008: Alloxysta Förster, 1869 (cosmopolitan, host Aphididae); Phaenoglyphis Förster, 1869 (cosmopolitan, host Aphididae); Lytoxysta Kieffer, 1909 (North America, host (Benoit) from Zaire (Menke & Evenhuis 1991;Carver 1993). We describe herein four new species of Dilyta from the Afrotropical Region.…”

Palaearctic species of Charipinae (Hymenoptera, Figitidae): two new species, synthesis and identification key

“…Morphological terms used are taken from Paretas-Martínez et al (2007a). The term 'club shape' is used in this manuscript to refer to the part of the antenna where the flagellomeres are wider than the previous one, and this expansion, more or less clear, continues until the end of the antenna.…”

Checklist of British and Irish Hymenoptera - Cynipoidea

“…Further taxonomic changes have been made in a series of papers by Ferrer-Suay and colleagues (Ferrer-Suay et al 2012a, Ferrer-Suay et al 2012b, Ferrer-Suay et al 2012c, Ferrer-Suay et al 2013a, Ferrer-Suay et al 2013b, Ferrer-Suay et al 2013c, Ferrer-Suay et al 2014a, Ferrer-Suay et al 2015, Ferrer-Suay et al 2013d, Ferrer-Suay et al 2014b). Tribal subdivisions have been abandoned following Paretas-Martínez et al (2007), who found that Alloxystini was paraphyletic with respect to Charipini. Some Welsh occurrence records from Baker (2013).…”