Ichnoverruca nom. nov., a replacement name for the genus Verruca Sheng amp; Sun, 2018 (Hymenoptera, Ichneumonidae) non Schumacher, 1817.

The name Verruca was proposed for a new genus of wasps described by Sheng Sun (2018) with the type species Verruca dentia Sheng Sun, 2018 in the family Ichneumonidae (Hymenoptera). However, it cannot be used as a valid generic name due to homonymy as the genus Verruca was established by Schumacher (1817) in the barnacle family Verrucidae (Cirripedia, Verrucomorpha). Verruca Schumacher is a valid generic name in Verrucomorpha.

A new species of the endemic Australian genus Hyptiogaster Kieffer Hymenoptera: Gasteruptiidae).

Hyptiogaster arafura sp. nov. is described from Arafura Swamp, Northern Territory, Australia, as the eleventh species of Hyptiogaster Kieffer (Hymenoptera: Gasteruptiidae). A revised diagnosis of Hyptiogaster is given based on the new species.

Systematics of the parasitoid wasp genus Aulacus Jurine (Hymenoptera: Evanioidea: Aulacidae) from Australia.

The Aulacidae is a small family of Hymenoptera that are parasitic on wood-boring beetles and wasps. They have a worldwide distribution but are generally poorly studied, particularly for the southern hemisphere. This study is part of a series that aims to describe the Australian fauna which is relatively species-rich compared with other regions. We describe 39 new Aulacus species from eastern mainland Australia and Tasmania: A. anici Jennings Austin, sp. nov., A. aquilus Jennings Austin, sp. nov., A. bamagensis Jennings Austin, sp. nov., A. bashfordi Jennings Austin, sp. nov., A. bicolor Jennings Austin, sp. nov., A. boonanghiensis Jennings Parslow, sp. nov., A. brabyi Jennings Austin, sp. nov., A. broadi Jennings Austin, sp. nov., A. burnsi Jennings Austin, sp. nov., A. confusus Jennings Parslow, sp. nov., A. dandenongensis Jennings Austin, sp. nov., A. deansi Jennings Austin, sp. nov., A. doddi Jennings Austin, sp. nov., A. froggatti Jennings Austin, sp. nov., A. glorious Jennings Parslow, sp. nov., A. hackeri Jennings Austin, sp. nov., A. insularis Jennings Austin, sp. nov., A. jamberoo Jennings Parslow, sp. nov., A. kittelae Jennings Austin, sp. nov., A. kiwarrakensis Jennings Austin, sp. nov., A. leai Jennings Austin, sp. nov., A. mareebaensis Jennings Austin, sp. nov., A. naumanni Jennings Austin, sp. nov., A. nebo Jennings Austin, sp. nov., A. neboissi Jennings Austin, sp. nov., A. obcordellus Jennings Parslow, sp. nov., A. pallidus Jennings Austin, sp. nov., A. quickei Jennings Austin, sp. nov., A. rieki Jennings Austin, sp. nov., A. scitulus Jennings Parslow, sp. nov., A. simsoni Jennings Austin, sp. nov., A. smithi Jennings Austin, sp. nov., A. tasmanicus Jennings Austin, sp. nov., A. tiernyi Jennings Austin, sp. nov., A. umbackae Jennings Austin, sp. nov., A. walkeri Jennings Parslow, sp. nov., A. warraensis Jennings Austin, sp. nov., A. willamsi Jennings Austin, sp. nov., and A. wrightae Jennings Austin, sp. nov. We also redescribe 14 species: A. albimanus (Kieffer), A. aroueti (Girault), A. atriceps Kieffer, A. elegans (Kieffer), A. festivus (Kieffer), A. flavicornis (Kieffer), A. flavimanus (Kieffer), A. fuscicornis Cameron, A. longiventris (Kieffer), A. minutus Crosskey, A. pallidicaudis (Cameron), A. planiceps (Szépligeti), A. truncatus (Kieffer), and A. vespiformis (Kieffer). As well, A. nigriventris (Kieffer) is synonymised with A. albimanus (Kieffer) syn nov. This brings to 60 the total number of species known from Australia (71 for the Australian region), although one species, A. biroi (Szépligeti), remains incertae sedis. A key to Australian Aulacus species is presented, along with notes on taxonomic history and host relationships.

The gasteruptiid wasp fauna of New Caledonia, with description of three new species of Gasteruption (Hymenoptera: Evanioidea: Gasteruptiidae).

The rarely collected gasteruptiid wasp fauna (Evanioidea: Gasteruptiidae) of New Caledonia is reviewed. Previously only two species of Pseudofoenus (Hyptiogastrinae) were known. Here, we record the subfamily Gasteruptiinae from New Caledonia for the first time and describe three new species of Gasteruption: G. lacoulee Jennings, Krogmann & Parslow, sp. nov., G. maquis Jennings, Krogmann & Parslow, sp. nov., and G. sarramea Jennings, Krogmann & Parslow, sp. nov. An identification key to the Gasteruptiidae of New Caledonia is provided.

Synopsis of the hymenopteran fauna of Lord Howe Island with a preliminary checklist of species.

Lord Howe Island is an eroded remnant of a shield volcano approximately 600 km northeast of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. It has fascinated biologists for more than a century because of its unique and iconic fauna and flora, and was declared a World Heritage Site in 1982. Although the terrestrial invertebrate fauna is reasonably well known for many groups, most Hymenoptera, apart from ants, have received scant attention. Here we use material collected from a recent intensive invertebrate survey, in conjunction with the published literature, to provide an overview of the Hymenoptera known from the island that can act as a basis for future taxonomic and biodiversity research. In doing so, we record 318 species from 31 hymenopteran families from the Island, and assess the proportion that are flightless and likely to be endemic to the island.

Gasteruption youngi sp. nov. (Hymenoptera: Evanioidea: Gasteruptiidae) from South Australia; an unusual species with trichoid sensilla on the ovipositor sheaths.

Gasteruption youngi, sp. nov. (Evanioidea: Gasteruptiidae) is described based on several female specimens from South Australia. The new species is unusual in that it has stout trichoid sensilla on the ovipositor sheaths and long, thin trichoid sensilla on metasomal tergites T3-T8. The likely host is the colletid bee Euryglossula microdonta (Rayment, 1934).

Happy birthday Willi Hennig!-Hyptia hennigi sp. nov. (Hymenoptera: Evaniidae), a fossil ensign wasp from Eocene Baltic amber.

The ensign wasp genus Hyptia Illiger was previously known from 52 extant New World species and one fossil species from Lower Miocene to Upper Oligocene Mexican amber. Hyptia hennigi sp. nov., from Eocene Baltic amber, is the oldest known species and the first member of the genus from the Old World.

Cretevania bechlyi sp. nov., from Cretaceous Burmese amber (Hymenoptera: Evaniidae).

The fossil evaniid wasp Cretevania bechlyi sp. nov., is described based on a well preserved female specimen from Cretaceous Burmese amber. The new species is placed in the genus Cretevania Rasnitsyn, 1975 based on the elongation of the mid and hind trochantellus, the fore wing venation (e.g. first marginal cell triangular and broad, 2m-cu absent, second sub-marginal cell separated from first discal cell), the shape of the petiole (subcylindrical with distal extension) and other distinct morphological features. Cretevania bechlyi sp. nov. differs from all previously described species in having just 10 flagellomeres (11 in other members of the genus) and in the presence of notauli (absent in other species). The new species represents the first species of Cretevania from Burmese amber and significantly expands the known morphological diversity of Mesozoic Evaniidae.

Review of the hymenopteran fauna of New Caledonia with a checklist of species.

The hymenopteran fauna of New Caledonia is reviewed and compared with that of Australia and New Zealand, as well as other islands in the south-west Pacific. In conclusion, several different scenarios (e.g., recent dispersal events and radiations) can be used to explain the extant distribution of New Caledonian Hymenoptera. A detailed checklist of 409 species and subspecies of Hymenoptera of New Caledonia is provided, along with estimates of the undescribed fauna, and a summary of the general biology of the families represented in the region.

Competition between solvent quenching and indole quenching of 9-fluorenone: a spectroscopic and computational study.

The interaction between 9-fluorenone, various indoles and solvents has been studied using steady-state fluorescence spectroscopy and quantum chemical calculations. It was determined that polar protic solvents such as methanol and ethanol significantly quenched the fluorescence of 9-fluorenone but various indoles reversed the solvent quenching. The effect of various solvents on the 9-fluorenone carbonyl vibration was investigated using infrared spectroscopy. Ab initio calculations using Gaussian03 were also carried out in order to determine the minimum energy conformations of these systems along with binding energies.