Re-description and systematic re-appraisal of the genus Kokkocynips Pujade-Villar amp; Melika, (Hymenoptera: Cynipidae: Cynipini), including new combinations of Nearctic species and the description of a new species from Panama.

The monophyly and taxonomic validity of some currently accepted genera of gall wasps in the Cynipini (Hymenoptera: Cynipidae) are being challenged by recent systematic studies. Here we used morphological and molecular data to re-describe and revise the taxonomic limits of the monotypic genus Kokkocynips Pujade-Villar Melika, previously recorded only from Mexico.                We describe a new species from Panama, Kokkocynips panamensis Medianero Nieves-Aldrey, reared from galls on Quercus salicifolia Neé, and add new records from Mexico for the type species of the genus K. doctorrosae Pujade-Villar. Six Nearctic species, Dryocosmus rileyi (Ashmead, 1896), D. imbricariae (Ashmead, 1896), D. coxii (Basset, 1881), D. deciduus (Beutenmueller, 1913), Callirhytis difficilis (Ashmead, 1887) and C. attractans (Kinsey, 1922) are transferred to Kokkocynips. Species of Kokkocynips are associated only with red oaks (Quercus section Lobatae (Fagaceae)) and are distributed in the Nearctic and Neotropical regions, from Canada through Mexico and Panama. Taxonomic limits of Kokkocynips are discussed in light of the molecular phylogenetic relationships of the studied species. Diagnostic characters, gall description, distribution, and biological data of Kokkocynips species are given, including a key for the identification of the asexual generations of seven species.

A new genus of Neotropical oak gall wasp, Prokius Nieves-Aldrey, Medianero amp; Nicholls, gen. nov. (Hymenoptera: Cynipidae: Cynipini), with description of two new species from Panama.

A new genus, Prokius Nieves Aldrey, Medianero Nicholls, gen. nov., and two new species of oak gall wasps (Hymenoptera: Cynipidae: Cynipini), Prokius cambrai Medianero Nieves-Aldrey sp. nov. and Prokius lisethiae Medianero Nieves-Aldrey sp. nov., are described from adults reared from galls on Quercus bumelioides Liebm (Fagaceae, sect. Quercus, white oaks) collected in Panama. The new genus is phylogenetically and morphologically close to Dros Kinsey and forms part of a large clade that includes species from several other genera that appear to require revision, including Andricus Hartig and Phylloteras Ashmead. Molecular and morphological data, diagnostic characters, gall descriptions, distribution and biological data of the new genus and the new species are given. This new genus represents the fourth recently described genus of Cynipidae endemic to the Neotropical region.

Chemocoding as an identification tool where morphological- and DNA-based methods fall short: Inga as a case study.

The need for species identification and taxonomic discovery has led to the development of innovative technologies for large-scale plant identification. DNA barcoding has been useful, but fails to distinguish among many species in species-rich plant genera, particularly in tropical regions. Here, we show that chemical fingerprinting, or 'chemocoding', has great potential for plant identification in challenging tropical biomes. Using untargeted metabolomics in combination with multivariate analysis, we constructed species-level fingerprints, which we define as chemocoding. We evaluated the utility of chemocoding with species that were defined morphologically and subject to next-generation DNA sequencing in the diverse and recently radiated neotropical genus Inga (Leguminosae), both at single study sites and across broad geographic scales. Our results show that chemocoding is a robust method for distinguishing morphologically similar species at a single site and for identifying widespread species across continental-scale ranges. Given that species are the fundamental unit of analysis for conservation and biodiversity research, the development of accurate identification methods is essential. We suggest that chemocoding will be a valuable additional source of data for a quick identification of plants, especially for groups where other methods fall short.