Interspecific competition between two generalist parasitoids that attack the leafroller Epiphyas postvittana (Lepidoptera: Tortricidae).

Two generalist parasitoids, Dolichogenidea tasmanica (Cameron) (Hymenoptera: Braconidae) and Therophilus unimaculatus (Turner) (Hymenoptera: Braconidae) attack early instars of tortricid moths, including the light brown apple moth, Epiphyas postvittana (Walker) (Lepidoptera: Tortricidae). The two parasitoids co-exist in natural habitats, while D. tasmanica is dominant in vineyards, whereas T. unimaculatus occurs mainly in adjacent native vegetation. This difference suggests possible competition between the two species, mediated by habitat. Here, we report on the extent of interspecific differences in host discrimination and the outcome of interspecific competition between the two parasitoids. The parasitoids did not show different behavioural responses to un-parasitized hosts or those that were parasitized by the other species. Larvae of D. tasmanica out-competed those of T. unimaculatus, irrespective of the order or interval between attacks by the two species. The host larvae that were attacked by two parasitoids died more frequently before a parasitoid completed its larval development than those that were attacked by a single parasitoid. Dissection of host larvae parasitized by both species indicated that first instars of D. tasmanica attacked and killed larval T. unimaculatus.

New species of Australian microgastrine parasitoid wasps (Hymenoptera: Braconidae: Microgastrinae) documented through the 'Bush Blitz' surveys of national reserves.

The braconid subfamily Microgastrinae are ecologically important parasitoids of larval lepidopterans, but are poorly studied in many regions of the world. In this study, we focus on describing new species of microgastrine wasps, in part from specimens collected on six different 'Bush Blitz' surveys of regional reserves in South Australia and Tasmania. Ten species of Microgastrinae are described as new and DNA barcodes of the genes COI and wingless are provided: three species in the genus Choeras Mason: C. bushblitz Fagan-Jeffries Austin sp. nov., C. parvoculus Fagan-Jeffries Austin sp. nov., and C. zygon Fagan-Jeffries Austin sp. nov.; six species in the genus Dolichogenidea Viereck: D. bonbonensis Fagan-Jeffries Austin sp. nov., D. brabyi Fagan-Jeffries Austin sp. nov., D. forrestae Fagan-Jeffries Austin sp. nov., D. garytaylori Fagan-Jeffries Austin sp. nov., D. kelleri Fagan-Jeffries Austin sp. nov., and D. lobesiae Fagan-Jeffries Austin sp. nov.; and one species from the genus Sathon Mason: S. oreo Fagan-Jeffries Austin sp. nov. These new species represent just a small fraction of the potential of 'Bush Blitz' surveys in regional Australia, which provide DNA-quality material allowing an integrative taxonomic approach and offer a window into the biodiversity of some of the least studied areas of the continent.

The ultor-group of the genus Dolichogenidea Viereck (Hymenoptera, Braconidae, Microgastrinae) from China with the descriptions of thirty-nine new species.

The ultor-group of the genus Dolichogenidea Viereck from China is revised, which totally 67 species are recorded. Thirty-nine new species are described and illustrated, i.e., D. alophogaster Liu Chen, sp. nov.; D. altithoracica Liu Chen, sp. nov.; D. anterocava Liu Chen, sp. nov.; D. apicurvus Liu Chen, sp. nov.; D. atarsi Liu Chen, sp. nov.; D. breviattenuata Liu Chen, sp. nov.; D. carborugosa Liu Chen, sp. nov.; D. clausa Liu Chen, sp. nov.; D. conpuncta Liu Chen, sp. nov.; D. crassa Liu Chen, sp. nov.; D. cucurbita Liu Chen, sp. nov.; D. excellentis Liu Chen, sp. nov.; D. flexitergita Liu Chen, sp. nov.; D. fluctisulcus Liu Chen, sp. nov.; D. flexisulcus Liu Chen, sp. nov.; D. gleditsia Liu Chen, sp. nov.; D. hemituba Liu Chen, sp. nov.; D. hexagona Liu Chen, sp. nov.; D. infirmus Liu Chen, sp. nov.; D. latitergita Liu Chen, sp. nov.; D. lincostulata Liu Chen, sp. nov.; D. lobesia Liu Chen, sp. nov.; D. longialba Liu Chen, sp. nov.; D. longimagna Liu Chen, sp. nov.; D. lunatus Liu Chen, sp. nov.; D. medicava Liu Chen, sp. nov.; D. minuscula Liu Chen, sp. nov.; D. multicolor Liu Chen, sp. nov.; D. obsoleta Liu Chen, sp. nov.; D. opacifinis Liu Chen, sp. nov.; D. ovata Liu Chen, sp. nov.; D. parallodorsum Liu Chen, sp. nov.; D. pentgona Liu Chen, sp. nov.; D. punctipila Liu Chen, sp. nov.; D. rectivena Liu Chen, sp. nov.; D. transcarinata Liu Chen, sp. nov.; D. vadosulcus Liu Chen, sp. nov.; D. victoria Liu Chen, sp. nov. and D. wangi Liu Chen, sp. nov. Five new combinations are proposed, i.e., D. acron (Nixon, 1967), comb. nov., D. bambusae (Wilkinson, 1928), comb. nov., D. kurosawai (Watanabe, 1940), comb. nov., D. lissos (Nixon, 1967), comb. nov., D. molestae (Muesebeck, 1933), comb. nov. Four newly recorded species are redescribed and illustrated, i.e., D. acron (Nixon, 1967), rec. nov., D. agilis (Ashmead, 1905), rec. nov., D. bambusae (Wilkinson, 1928), rec. nov., and D. ultima (Kotenko, 1986), rec. nov. One species, D. acutituba Song, Chen Yang, 2006, syn. nov. is synonymized with D. prisca (Nixon, 1967). Fifteen new host are recorded for the following previously described species viz., D. baoris, D. brevicarinata, D. expulse, D. heterusiae, D. hyposidrae, D. kurosawai, D. lacteicolor, and D. prisca and marked by a number sign (#). Eleven new host associations are documented for the following new species: D. alophogaster; D. crassa, D. flexisulcus; D. gleditsia; D. hexagona; D. lincostulata; D. lobesia; D. minuscula; D. multicolor; D. obsolete, and D. rectivena. The hosts of thirty-two species remain unknown. An identification key and distribution maps to the Chinese species of the ultor-group is provided.

A revision of Dolichogenidea (Hymenoptera, Braconidae, Microgastrinae) with the second mediotergite broadly rectangular from Area de Conservación Guanacaste, Costa Rica.

The first species of Dolichogenidea (Hymenoptera: Braconidae, Microgastrinae) with the second mediotergite broadly quadrate to rectangular are revised, and eight new species from Area de Conservación Guanacaste (ACG), Costa Rica are described, all authored by Fernandez-Triana & Boudreault: alejandromasisi, angelagonzalezae, carlosmanuelrodriguezi, genuarnunezi, josealfredohernandezi, melaniamunozae, rogerblancoi, and yeimycedenoae. A new species group (carlosmanuelrodriguezi) within the genus is proposed to accommodate those species, as well as additional undescribed species from the Neotropical region found in collections. All new species are found in rainforests (120-900 m) and all are parasitoids of Depressariidae (except for one species parasitizing Choreutidae). The unique shape of the second mediotergite and long ovipositor are features shared with the alejandromorai species group in the genus Apanteles, an example of convergent evolution; both wasp groups also parasitize similar hosts in ACG.

Effects of plant-mediated differences in host quality on the development of two related endoparasitoids with different host-utilization strategies.

Among parasitoids that develop inside the bodies of feeding, growing hosts (so-called 'koinobiont' endoparasitoids), two strategies have evolved to dispose of host resources. The larvae of one group consumes most host tissues before pupation, whereas in the other the parasitoid larvae consume only host hemolymph and fat body and at maturity emerge through the host cuticle to pupate externally. Here we compared development and survival (to adult emergence) of two related larval endoparasitoids (Braconidae: Microgastrinae) of the diamondback moth, Plutella xylostella. Larvae of Dolichogenidea sicaria are tissue feeders whereas larvae of Cotesia vestalis are hemolymph feeders. Here, development of P. xylostella and the two parasitoids was compared on three populations (one cultivar [Cyrus], two wild, [Winspit and Kimmeridge]) of cabbage that have been shown to vary in direct defense and hence quality. Survival of P. xylostella and C. vestalis (to adult eclosion) did not vary with cabbage population, but did so in D. sicaria, where survival was lower when reared on the wild populations than on the cultivar. Furthermore, adult herbivore mass was significantly higher and development was significantly shorter in moths reared on the cultivar. The tissue-feeing D. sicaria was larger but took longer to develop than the hemolymph-feeder C. vestalis. The performance of both parasitoids was better on the cabbage cultivar than on the wild populations, although the effects were less apparent than in the host. Our results show that (1) differences in plant quality are diffused up the food chain, and (2) the effects of host quality are reflected on the development of both parasitoids.