Anu Veijalainen

Unprecedented ichneumonid parasitoid wasp diversity in tropical forests.

The megadiverse parasitoid wasp family Ichneumonidae (Hymenoptera) is classically considered an exception to the extensively studied latitudinal diversity gradient: the majority of ichneumonid species are described from temperate regions. The gradient has been hypothesized to be dependent on the biology of the wasps, but recently questions of sampling and description biases have been raised. Here, we show with primary data that the species richness of Ichneumonidae is markedly underestimated in tropical areas and that latitudinal diversity patterns in the family remain uncharacterized. We discovered a startling 177 likely undescribed orthocentrine species with relatively low sampling effort in the forests of Central America and Amazonian Ecuador, over three times the previously known orthocentrine diversity in the worlds tropics. Species accumulation curves reveal that we are just beginning to unveil the true extent of tropical orthocentrine diversity. We also found evidence for cryptic species; our DNA analysis revealed additional species not easily distinguishable using morphological characteristics. The difficulty in establishing species richness patterns of Ichneumonidae probably follows from the relative lack of taxonomic expertise and the low density of ichneumonid species throughout the landscape.

Subfamily composition of Ichneumonidae (Hymenoptera) from western Amazonia: Insights into diversity of tropical parasitoid wasps

Abstract.  1. Previous studies have found the parasitoid wasp family Ichneumonidae (Hymenoptera) to have an exceptional latitudinal species richness gradient that peaks at mid‐latitudes instead of the tropics; however, insufficient tropical sampling and species description may have biased the conclusions. It has been unclear which subfamilies might be species rich in tropical lowland rain forests.

Altitudinal trends in species richness and diversity of Mesoamerican parasitoid wasps (Hymenoptera: Ichneumonidae)

Utilising short‐term but geographically extensive sampling in Guatemala, Honduras, and Nicaragua, we examined altitudinal trends in species richness and diversity of ichneumonid parasitoid wasps. This study covered 19 subfamilies, including four globally large subfamilies that have not yet been taxonomically revised in the Neotropics. Sampling was done at 25 sites classified into three elevational categories on the basis of the average elevation of traps at each site (low 34–659 m a.s.l., middle 1033–1709 m a.s.l., and high 1930–2565 m a.s.l.). A total of 2847 ichneumonid individuals were captured and sorted into 751 morphospecies, most of which were identified to the genus level. We found a clear compositional gradient in ichneumonid communities along the elevational gradient, as the majority of species were restricted to either one elevational zone or two adjacent zones. In our data, mid‐ and high‐elevation sites had generally higher ichneumonid species richness and diversity than low‐elevation sites. These trends were largely similar to those found in larger scale Mesoamerican ichneumonid studies. Yet, the low ichneumonid richness at low elevations may partly be a sampling artefact. This provides a new piece of evidence for the suggestion that extensive sampling is needed for uncovering the real diversity of ichneumonids in tropical lowland forests, and that the reputation of Ichneumonidae as a notable example of a reversed latitudinal diversity gradient may be undeserved.

DNA barcoding and morphology reveal two common species in one: Pimpla molesta stat. rev. separated from P. croceipes (Hymenoptera, Ichneumonidae)

Abstract Correct species identification is the basis of ecological studies. Nevertheless, morphological examination alone may not be enough to tell species apart. Here, our integrated molecular and morphological studies demonstrate that the relatively widespread and common neotropical parasitoid wasp Pimpla croceipes Cresson, 1874 (Hymenoptera: Ichneumonidae: Pimplinae) actually consists of two distinct species. The name Pimpla molesta (Smith, 1879), stat. rev. is available for the second species. The two species were identified by DNA barcoding and minor differences in morphology and colouration. Our results support the previous notions that DNA barcoding can complement morphological identification and aid the discovery of cryptic species complexes.

Three new genera of Banchinae (Hymenoptera: Ichneumonidae) from Central and South America

Three new genera and four new species of Banchinae are described from Central and South America: Terrylee gen. n., is described from Peru and Honduras to accommodate Terrylee olearius sp. n. and Terrylee peruensis sp. n. (type species: Terrylee peruensis sp. n.); Valdiviglypta gen. n. and Pristiboea gen. n. are described from Chile (type species: Valdiviglypta nimbus sp. n. and Pristiboea leiomano sp. n.). Terrylee and Pristiboea are placed in the tribe Atrophini, Valdiviglypta tentatively in the tribe Glyptini. All the three new genera are morphologically very distinctive and two have such character suites that they may not immediately be recognizable as banchines. By describing these three Neotropical genera from Chile, Honduras and Peru we aim to draw further attention to the considerable morphological variation within the ichneumonid subfamily Banchinae.

Three new large-bodied species of Labena (Hymenoptera: Ichneumonidae: Labeninae), with a key to the Neotropical striata species group

Abstract Labena Cresson is a large Gondwanan genus best represented in the Neotropical area. We describe three new species in the Neotropical Labena striata species group: Labena gauldiana sp. nov. from Costa Rica and Mexico, Labena yucatanica sp. nov. from Mexico, and Labena iquitosica sp. nov. from Peruvian Amazonia. These species are among the largest and most spectacular Neotropical Ichneumonidae ever collected. We also provide additional descriptive remarks regarding Labena striata Townes and Townes (including intraspecific variation) and an identification key to the six species of the striata group.

A new species of Lathrolestes (Hymenoptera, Ichneumonidae) from Ecuadorian Amazonia, with a key to the Neotropical species of the genus

Abstract Here we describe and illustrate a new parasitoid wasp species, Lathrolestes gauldi sp. n. from the lowland rainforest of eastern Ecuador and provide a key to the Neotropical species of the genus. This is the first record of the subfamily Ctenopelmatinae from Ecuador.

Twenty seven new species of Orthocentrus (Hymenoptera: Ichneumonidae; Orthocentrinae) with a key to the Neotropical species of the genus

We describe 27 new species of parasitoid wasps of the genus Orthocentrus (Ichneumonidae: Orthocentrinae) from the Neotropical region, where previously only one species of the genus (O. insularis Ashmead) was known, and provide a key to all described Orthocentrus species of the region. Based on previous studies and additional material that we have seen from the region, describing these species is only an initial attempt to document the Neotropical orthocentrine fauna.

Western Amazonian Ticapimpla (Hymenoptera: Ichneumonidae: Pimplinae): Four New Species from Colombia, Ecuador, and Peru, with a Key to Species of the Genus

Ticapimpla is a small genus closely related to the New World genera Acrotaphus and Hymenoepimecis. It has been previously reported from Costa Rica and Brazil. In this paper, we describe four new species: T. amazonica from Ecuador and Peru, T. carinata from Colombia and Peru, T. matamatae from Colombia, and T. soinii from Colombia, Ecuador, and Peru. All have been collected in Western Amazonia, suggesting a South American origin for the genus. A key to the known species of the genus is provided.