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Eucalyptus (Myrtaceae) is planted to produce materials such as paper, pulp, viscose, and wood. The eucalyptus gall wasp, Ophelimus eucalypti (Gahan) (Hymenoptera: Eulophidae), induces the formation of galls on the leaves of Eucalyptus in North Sumatra, Indonesia. However, the identity of parasitoids associated with O. eucalypti in the field is poorly known. The study aimed to identify the parasitoids and their most prevalent species associated with O. eucalypti . Leaves of Eucalyptus with parasitized galls were sampled from January to October 2021 at Toba, North Tapanuli, and Samosir districts, North Sumatra. The collected material was incubated in the laboratory until gall wasp adults for its parasitoids emerged. Nine hymenopteran parasitoids of O. eucalypti were recovered and identified via analysis of the external morphology. They are Aprostocetus causalis La Salle & Wu, Aprostocetus Westwood sp., Chrysonotomyia germanica Erdös, Chrysonotomyia Ashmead sp. 1, Chrysonotomyia sp. 2, Closterocerus chamaeleon Westwood (Eulophidae), Eurytoma Illiger sp. (Eurytomidae), Quadrastichus mendeli Kim & La Salle and Tetrastichinae sp. (Eulophidae). The prevalence of Chrysonotomyia spp. parasitoid was the highest in the collection. Therefore, those parasitoids can be considered potential candidates as biological agents in the strategy to control the leaf-gall former O. eucalypti .

Wolbachia is a genus of bacterial endosymbionts that impacts the breeding systems of their hosts. Wolbachia can confuse the patterns of mitochondrial variation, including DNA barcodes, because it influences the pathways through which mitochondria are inherited. We examined the extent to which these endosymbionts are detected in routine DNA barcoding, assessed their impact upon the insect sequence divergence and identification accuracy, and considered the variation present in Wolbachia COI. Using both standard PCR assays (Wolbachia surface coding protein--wsp), and bacterial COI fragments we found evidence of Wolbachia in insect total genomic extracts created for DNA barcoding library construction. When >2 million insect COI trace files were examined on the Barcode of Life Datasystem (BOLD) Wolbachia COI was present in 0.16% of the cases. It is possible to generate Wolbachia COI using standard insect primers; however, that amplicon was never confused with the COI of the host. Wolbachia alleles recovered were predominantly Supergroup A and were broadly distributed geographically and phylogenetically. We conclude that the presence of the Wolbachia DNA in total genomic extracts made from insects is unlikely to compromise the accuracy of the DNA barcode library; in fact, the ability to query this DNA library (the database and the extracts) for endosymbionts is one of the ancillary benefits of such a large scale endeavor--which we provide several examples. It is our conclusion that regular assays for Wolbachia presence and type can, and should, be adopted by large scale insect barcoding initiatives. While COI is one of the five multi-locus sequence typing (MLST) genes used for categorizing Wolbachia, there is limited overlap with the eukaryotic DNA barcode region.

Abstract Caryocar brasiliense Camb. (Malpighiales: Caryocaraceae) is widely distributed in the Brazilian savanna and its fruits are used by humans for food, production of cosmetics, lubricants, and in the pharmaceutical industry. This plant is damaged by galling insects. Number of these galling insects and their parasitoids was recorded, in the field (galls) and in the laboratory (adults emerged from the galls), from three C. brasiliense crown heights, during three years. Numbers of adults of Eurytoma sp. (Hymenoptera: Eurytomidae), galling insect (younger attack) and Sycophila sp. (Hymenoptera: Eurytomidae) (a parasitoid of Eurytoma sp.), were greater on the apical parts of C. brasiliense tree crowns. Numbers and groups of Eurytoma sp. globoid galls (older attack) were higher in the median and basal crown parts. The numbers of Eurytoma sp. galls were higher on apical part of C. brasiliense tree crown and also of their parasitoids. Resumo Caryocar brasiliense Camb. (Malpighiales: Caryocaraceae) é, amplamente, distribuída no cerrado brasileiro e seus frutos são utilizados para alimentação humana, produção de cosméticos, lubrificantes e na indústria farmacêutica, no entanto, é danificada por insetos galhadores. O número de insetos galhadores e seus parasitoides foram avaliados, em campo (galhas) e em laboratório (emergência de adultos das galhas), em três alturas do dossel de C. brasiliense, durante três anos. Os números de adultos Eurytoma sp. (Hymenoptera: Eurytomidae), inseto galhador (galhas novas) e de Sycophila sp. (Hymenoptera: Eurytomidae), parasitoide de Eurytoma sp., foram maiores na parte apical do dossel da copa de árvores de C. brasiliense. A quantidade de galhas globoides de Eurytoma sp., isoladas ou em grupo (galhas velhas), foi maior na parte mediana e basal da copa. Os números de adultos do galhador Eurytoma sp. e de seus parasitoides, que os seguem, foram maiores na parte apical da copa de árvores de C. brasiliense.

In a paper about the description of Kavayva , a new genus of Eurytomidae (Zhang et al. 2021) The indication of repository for the type specimens were missing. We regret this omission, and provide the missing information below. MUSM – Natural History Museum of the San Marcos University, Lima, Peru UFGD – Museum of Biodiversity of the Federal University of Grande Dourados, Dourados-MS, Brazil USNM – United States National Museum of Natural History, Washington, D.C., USA. Kavayva bodoquenensis Zhang, Silvestre, & Gates, sp. nov. Holotype female deposited at USNM. Paratypes deposited at USNM [12F, 13M] and UFGD [8F, 3M]. Kavayva davidsmithi Zhang & Gates, sp. nov. Holotype female deposited at MUSM. Paratypes deposited at USNM [1F, 1M].

Asian longhorned beetle, Anoplophora glabripennis (Motschulsky), is a high-risk invasive forest pest worldwide. We surveyed Asian longhorned beetle parasitoid guilds and their seasonal abundance using field-deployed sentinel host logs infested with Asian longhorned beetle eggs or newly hatched (early-instar) larvae in three different sites of China (Beijing City, Shanghai City, and Jilin Province) from 2015 to 2018. Our survey detected 12 species of hymenopteran parasitoids (four Pteromalidae, three Braconidae, two Eupelmidae, one Eurytomidae, one Ichneumonidae, and one Bethylidae) attacking sentinel Asian longhorned beetle larvae or eggs deployed in these sites. Total parasitism by all the parasitoid species varied with different sites and across different years of the survey (averaging 7–16% in Beijing, 4–11% in Shanghai, and 0–0.2% in Jilin Province). In addition, the seasonal pattern of parasitism also differed among different sites, with parasitism peaking in July in the northern site (Beijing, 19%) and June in the southern site (Shanghai, 16%). Among all the parasitoid species recovered, Oxysychus sp. (Hymenoptera: Pteromalidae) was the most abundant parasitoid species in both Beijing and Shanghai (with 42–66% relative abundance and an average of 6% Asian longhorned beetle parasitism). The second most abundant species was Bracon planitibiae Yang, Cao et Gould (Hymenoptera: Braconidae), which accounted for 35% of the species collected and caused an average of 5% Asian longhorned beetle parasitism. Relevance of our findings to Asian longhorned beetle biocontrol is discussed.

Many native South African grass species have become invasive elsewhere in the world. The application of biological control to invasive grasses has been approached with trepidation in the past, primarily due to concerns of a perceived lack of host specific herbivores. This has changed in recent times, and grasses are now considered suitable candidates. The Tetramesa Walker genus (Hymenoptera: Eurytomidae) has been found to contain species that are largely host specific to a particular grass species, or complex of closely related congeners. Very little taxonomic work exists for Tetramesa in the southern hemisphere, and the lack of morphological variability between many Tetramesa species has made identification difficult. This limits the ability to assess the genus for potential biological control agents. Species delimitation analyses indicated 16 putative novel southern African Tetramesa taxa. Ten of these were putative Tetramesa associated with Eragrostis curvula (Schrad.) Nees and Sporobolus pyramidalis Beauv. and S. natalensis Steud., which are alien invasive weeds in Australia. Of these ten Tetramesa taxa, eight were only found on a single host plant, while two taxa were associated with multiple species in a single grass genus. The Tetramesa spp. on S. pyramidalis and S. africanus were deemed suitably host-specific to be used as biological control agents. Field host range data for the Tetramesa species on E. curvula revealed that the wasp may not be suitably host specific for use as a biological control agent. However, further host specificity testing on non-target native Australian species is required.

Abstract Galling insects are abundant in nature, found in many ecosystems globally, with species attacking plants of economic importance. We studied the effects of free-feeding organisms on the abundance of galling insects on Caryocar brasiliense (Caryocaraceae) trees in the Brazilian Cerrado (Savanna). Percentage of defoliation and the number of phytophagous mites or number of phytophagous Hemiptera correlated negatively with percentage of galled leaves and the parasitoid Eurytoma sp. (Hymenoptera: Eurytomidae) adults, respectively. Percentage of galled leaves and the numbers of Eurytoma sp. adults and phytophagous mites correlated positively with spiders. Numbers of mites and Hemiptera phytophagous correlated positively with those of lady beetles and Sycophila sp. (Hymenoptera: Eurytomidae), respectively. The number of Ablerus magistretti Blanchard (Hymenoptera: Aphelinidae) adults correlated negatively with Sycophila sp. The number of Agistemus sp. (Acari: Stigmaeidae) correlated, negatively and positively, with those of lady beetles and phytophagous mites, respectively. Free-feeding herbivores affected the presence of galling insects (Hymenoptera) on C. brasiliense trees, competing for food and space. The same was observed between two parasitoids of Eurytoma sp. galling insect, which can reduce the natural biological control of this pest. Resumo Insetos galhadores são abundantes na natureza, encontrados em muitos ecossistemas globalmente, com espécies atacando plantas de importância econômica. Os efeitos de herbívoros de alimentação livre na abundância de insetos galhadores em árvores de Caryocar brasiliense (Caryocaraceae) no Cerrado brasileiro (Savana) foram estudados. A porcentagem de desfolha e o número de ácaros fitófagos ou de Hemiptera fitófagos correlacionaram-se, negativamente, com a percentagem de folhas galhadas e de adultos do parasitoide Eurytoma sp. (Hymenoptera: Eurytomidae), respectivamente. Porcentagem de folhas galhadas e o número de Eurytoma sp. adultos e ácaros fitófagos correlacionaram-se, positivamente, com o de aranhas. Os números de ácaros e fitófagos Hemiptera correlacionaram-se, positivamente, com os de joaninhas e Sycophila sp. (Hymenoptera: Eurytomidae), respectivamente. O número de adultos de Ablerus magistretti Blanchard (Hymenoptera: Aphelinidae) correlacionou-se, negativamente, com Sycophila sp. O número de Agistemus sp. (Acari: Stigmaeidae) correlacionou-se, negativa e positivamente, com os de joaninhas e ácaros fitófagos, respectivamente. Herbívoros de alimentação livre afetaram a presença de insetos galhadores (Hymenoptera) em árvores de C. brasiliense, competindo por alimento e espaço. O mesmo foi observado entre dois parasitoides de Eurytoma sp., o que pode reduzir o controle biológico natural dessa praga.

Aprostocetus nitens Prinsloo & Kelly (Hymenoptera: Eulophidae) was identified as one of four hymenopteran ectoparasitoids utilizing three erythrina gall wasps, Quadrastichus bardus, Q. erythrinae, and Q. gallicola) (Hymenoptera: Eulophidae) in the native eastern Africa. In Hawaiʻi, the eurytomid wasp, Eurytoma erythrinae Gates & Delvare (Hymenoptera: Eurytomidae), was introduced and approved for statewide release in 2008 to control the erythrina gall wasp (EGW) Q. erythrinae Kim. EGW has devastated the wiliwili trees, Erythrina sandwicensis Degener (Fabaceae), an ecologically and culturally important native Hawaiian tree species. However, the parasitoid’s impact on the galled inflorescences and shoots was not adequate to ensure adequate seed set and maturation for successful tree recruitment. Aprostocetus nitens was thus evaluated as a prospective natural enemy to enhance the biological control of EGW to further protect the wiliwili trees in Hawaiʻi. Both choice and no-choice host specificity tests were conducted on seven non-target gall formers in the Hawaii Department of Agriculture, Insect Containment Facility, and showed that the parasitoid was extremely specific to EGW. The potential for competition between this parasitoid and the established E. erythrinae was also investigated, showing that the release of a second parasitoid will potentially complement the success of the eurytomid wasp for control of EGW. Unlike what was found in the native region, the Hawaiian laboratory colony is thelytokous, producing only female offspring. The life cycle took 20.1 ± 0.28 days under the laboratory conditions. Non-ovipositing female survived for 102.5 ± 2.9 days when fed honey and laid eggs for 25.1 ± 2.3 days with average fecundity of 156.7 ± 22.3 offspring/female. This value is 3.9-fold higher than offspring produced by E. erythrinae. Aprostocetus nitens, host specificity, competition with E. erythrinae, and its tri-trophic association with 15 Erythrina host plants and 5 gall wasp assemblages in the native African regions were defined. Implications to reduce frequent galls on the native Erythrina plants and likely domination over E. erythrinae, are discussed.

In 2021/2022, galls formed by a nematode, Anguina woodi, were found on the stems, leaves and leaf sheaths of dune grass, Ehrharta villosa var . villosa on Milnerton Beach, Blouberg Beach and Langebaan, Western Cape Province, South Africa. These galls were spongy in texture, deep purple to blackish in colour and non-pedunculate. They were found in clusters, but also as single entities. Larger, harder galls varying from beige to dark brown in colour, apparently caused by insects, were also found on the stems of dune grass at Blouberg Beach and Langebaan Nature Reserve. Some nematode galls were found immediately next to or on top of the insect galls. Those found on top of insect galls seemed to be harder and drier than those found on stems not infected by insect galls. The co-infection of insects and anguinid nematodes has not been reported from the current study areas and was thus included in the present study. Both molecular and morphological studies were conducted on the nematodes and wasps leading to the identification of a host specific, gall-forming nematode from all three localities. The wasps were identified morphologically and molecularly to the family Eurytomidae (Hymenoptera). No insect galls were found on dune grass from Milnerton Beach. The paper includes speculations on a probable association between nematodes and insects.

The genus Plutarchia is discovered in the Palearctic region for the first time. In this study, we report a newly described and newly recorded species from South Korea: P. fuscipennata sp. nov. , and P. malabarica Narendran & Padmasenan, 1990, respectively. The host association of Plutarchia malabarica reared from leaf-miner flies (Diptera: Agromyzidae) attacking the seeds of Pueraria lobata (Willd.) Ohwi (Fabaceae) has been unknown until now. A key to the South Korean species and descriptions of the new species are also provided.