Three new species of Promicrogaster Brues & Richardson (Hymenoptera: Braconidae) from India.

The Indian fauna of the microgastrine genus Promicrogaster is reviewed and three new species are described: P. constricta, P. flava, and P. incompleta, all authored by Ranjith & Fernandez-Triana. Until now only one species had been reported from India. An illustrated key for the Oriental region, including all previously described species, is also provided.

Scratching the tip of the iceberg: integrative taxonomy reveals 30 new species records of Microgastrinae (Braconidae) parasitoid wasps for Germany, including new Holarctic distributions.

Substantial parts of the European and German insect fauna still remain largely unexplored, the so-called "dark taxa". In particular, midges (Diptera) and parasitoid wasps (Hymenoptera) are abundant and species-rich throughout Europe, yet are often neglected in biodiversity research. One such dark taxon is Microgastrinae wasps (Hymenoptera: Braconidae), a group of parasitoids of lepidopteran caterpillars with 252 species reported in Germany so far. As part of the German Barcode of Life Project GBOL III: Dark Taxa, reverse DNA barcoding and integrative taxonomic approaches were used to shed some light on the German Fauna of Microgastrinae wasps. In our workflow, DNA barcoding was used for molecular clustering of our specimens in a first step, morphological examination of the voucher specimens in a second step, and host data compared in a third step. Here, 30 species are reported for the first time in Germany, adding more than 10% to the known German fauna. Information for four species is provided in a new Holarctic context, reporting them for the Nearctic or, respectively, Palaearctic region, and 26 additional country records are added from sequenced material available in the collections accessible to us. Molecular clusters that show signs of discrepancies are discussed. Results show that we are just scratching the tip of the iceberg of the unexplored Microgastrinae diversity in Germany.

A revision of the parasitoid wasp genus Alphomelon Mason with the description of 30 new species (Hymenoptera, Braconidae).

The parasitoid wasp genus Alphomelon Mason, 1981 is revised, based on a combination of basic morphology (dichotomous key and brief diagnostic descriptions), DNA barcoding, biology (host data and wasp cocoons), and distribution data. A total of 49 species is considered; the genus is almost entirely Neotropical (48 species recorded from that region), but three species reach the Nearctic, with one of them extending as far north as 45° N in Canada. Alphomelon parasitizes exclusively Hesperiinae caterpillars (Lepidoptera: Hesperiidae), mostly feeding on monocots in the families Arecaceae, Bromeliaceae, Cannaceae, Commelinaceae, Heliconiaceae, and Poaceae. Most wasp species parasitize either on one or very few (2-4) host species, usually within one or two hesperiine genera; but some species can parasitize several hosts from up to nine different hesperiine genera. Among species with available data for their cocoons, roughly half weave solitary cocoons (16) and half are gregarious (17); cocoons tend to be surrounded by a rather distinctive, coarse silk (especially in solitary species, but also distinguishable in some gregarious species). Neither morphology nor DNA barcoding alone was sufficient on its own to delimit all species properly; by integrating all available evidence (even if incomplete, as available data for every species is different) a foundation is provided for future studies incorporating more specimens, especially from South America. The following 30 new species are described: cruzi, itatiaiensis, and palomae, authored by Shimbori & Fernandez-Triana; and adrianguadamuzi, amazonas, andydeansi, calixtomoragai, carolinacanoae, christerhanssoni, diniamartinezae, duvalierbricenoi, eldaarayae, eliethcantillanoae, gloriasihezarae, guillermopereirai, hazelcambroneroae, josecortesi, keineraragoni, luciarosae, manuelriosi, mikesharkeyi, osvaldoespinozai, paramelanoscelis, paranigriceps, petronariosae, ricardocaleroi, rigoi, rostermoragai, sergioriosi, and yanayacu, authored by Fernandez-Triana & Shimbori.

ECG Abnormalities Preceding Structural Changes of Apical Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy by up to 10 Years.

A 48-year-old man with hypertension and hypercholesterolemia was referred with an abnormal ECG showing signs of myocardial ischemia and structural change consistent with ventricular hypertrophy. Upon further workup with MRI, echocardiogram, and exercise stress test with perfusion images, it was determined that the man had no cardiac abnormalities. Ten years later, the patient developed structural changes consistent with the abnormal ECG. The patient was diagnosed with apical hypertrophic cardiomyopathy and was treated appropriately with an automatic implantable cardiac defibrillator. The objective of this clinical case report is to highlight this unusual incident where ECG changes preceded structural changes within the heart by 10 years.

The Apanteles adelinamoralesae species group (Hymenoptera, Braconidae) from Brazil, with descriptions of three new species reared from fruit borers(Lepidoptera, Depressariidae).

With more than 633 species, Apanteles is the largest genus within the subfamily Microgastrinae (Hymenoptera, Braconidae). We describe three new species reared from pests of commercial fruits, Apanteles ahuacatl Shimbori, Giacomelli & Fernández-Triana sp. n., A. aratiku Shimbori sp. n., and A. mayochinchipe Shimbori sp. n. They parasitize caterpillars in the subfamily Stenomatinae (Depressariidae): the soursop moth Cerconota anonella (Sepp), in fruits of sweetsop (Annona squamosa L.) and atemoya (Annona squamosa x Annona cherimola Mill.) (Annonaceae), the avocado borer Stenoma catenifer Walsingham, in fruits of avocado (Persea americana Mill.) (Lauraceae), and the cacao shoot borer Stenoma decora Zeller, in fruits and shoots of cacao (Theobroma cacao L.) (Malvaceae). The new Apanteles species are included in an expanded version of the key provided by Fernández-Triana et al. (2014) for the Apanteles adelinamoralesae species group. In addition, the previous record of Apanteles stenomae Muesebeck in Brazil is revised and considered to actually represent the species A. yolandarojasae Fernández-Triana.

Larissimusnigricans sp. nov. (Hymenoptera, Braconidae), a new reared species of a rare neotropical genus recovered through biodiversity inventory in Ecuador.

A new species of the rarely collected neotropical microgastrine braconid wasp genus Larissimus Nixon, represented previously by only a single described species, L.cassander Nixon, was recovered by the Caterpillars and Parasitoids of the Eastern Andes in Ecuador inventory project. Larissimusnigricanssp. nov. was reared from an unidentified species of arctiine Erebidae feeding on the common bamboo species Chusqueascandens Kunth at the Yanayacu Biological Station near Cosanga, Napo Province, Ecuador. The new species is described and diagnosed from L.cassander using both morphological and DNA barcode data.

An acute lymphoblastic leukemia cell-based preclinical assay revealed functional differences between commercial brands of L-asparaginase administered in Colombia.

BACKGROUND: L-asparaginase (L-ASNase) is an essential component of chemotherapy strategies due to its differential action between normal and leukemic cells. Recently, concerns about the efficiency of commercial formulations administered in developing countries have been reported, and available methods have limitations for directly determining the quality of the formulation of the medications. PROCEDURE: We developed a cell-based protocol to analyze the activity of different L-ASNase formulations used in Colombia to induce apoptosis of the NALM-6 cell line after 24, 48, and 72 hours, using flow cytometry. Then we compared results and determined the statistically significant differences. RESULTS: Three statistically different groups, ranging from full to no activity against leukemic cells, using 0.05, 0.5, and 5.0 IU/ml concentrations, were identified. Group 1 (asparaginase codified [ASA]2-4) exhibited very low to no activity against B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (B-ALL) cells. Group 2 (ASA6) exhibited intermediate-level activity, and group 3 (ASA1 and ASA5) exhibited high activity. CONCLUSIONS: Differences found between the therapeutic formulations of L-ASNase distributed in Colombia raise concerns about the quality of the treatment administered to patients in low- and middle-income countries. Therefore, we recommend a preclinical evaluation of formulations of L-ASNase in order to prevent therapeutical impacts on the outcome of ALL patients.

Turbo taxonomy approaches: lessons from the past and recommendations for the future based on the experience with Braconidae (Hymenoptera) parasitoid wasps.

Not aplicable to a Forum paper, but if needed I can write one.

Mitochondrial phylogenomics and mitogenome organization in the parasitoid wasp family Braconidae (Hymenoptera: Ichneumonoidea).

BACKGROUND: Mitochondrial (mt) nucleotide sequence data has been by far the most common tool employed to investigate evolutionary relationships. While often considered to be more useful for shallow evolutionary scales, mt genomes have been increasingly shown also to contain valuable phylogenetic information about deep relationships. Further, mt genome organization provides another important source of phylogenetic information and gene reorganizations which are known to be relatively frequent within the insect order Hymenoptera. Here we used a dense taxon sampling comprising 148 mt genomes (132 newly generated) collectively representing members of most of the currently recognised subfamilies of the parasitoid wasp family Braconidae, which is one of the largest radiations of hymenopterans. We employed this data to investigate the evolutionary relationships within the family and to assess the phylogenetic informativeness of previously known and newly discovered mt gene rearrangements. RESULTS: Most subfamilial relationships and their composition obtained were similar to those recovered in a previous phylogenomic study, such as the restoration of Trachypetinae and the recognition of Apozyginae and Proteropinae as valid braconid subfamilies. We confirmed and detected phylogenetic signal in previously known as well as novel mt gene rearrangements, including mt rearrangements within the cyclostome subfamilies Doryctinae and Rogadinae. CONCLUSIONS: Our results showed that both the mt genome DNA sequence data and gene organization contain valuable phylogenetic signal to elucidate the evolution within Braconidae at different taxonomic levels. This study serves as a basis for further investigation of mt gene rearrangements at different taxonomic scales within the family.

Phylogenomics of braconid wasps (Hymenoptera, Braconidae) sheds light on classification and the evolution of parasitoid life history traits.

The parasitoid lifestyle is largely regarded as a key innovation that contributed to the evolutionary success and extreme species richness of the order Hymenoptera. Understanding the phylogenetic history of hyperdiverse parasitoid groups is a fundamental step in elucidating the evolution of biological traits linked to parasitoidism. We used a genomic-scale dataset based on ultra-conserved elements and the most comprehensive taxon sampling to date to estimate the evolutionary relationships of Braconidae, the second largest family of Hymenoptera. Based on our results, we propose Braconidae to comprise 41 extant subfamilies, confirmed a number of subfamilial placements and proposed subfamily-level taxonomic changes, notably the restoration of Trachypetinae stat. rev. and Masoninae stat. rev. as subfamilies of Braconidae, confirmation that Apozyx penyai Mason belongs in Braconidae placed in the subfamily Apozyginae and the recognition of Ichneutinae sensu stricto and Proteropinae as non-cyclostome subfamilies robustly supported in a phylogenetic context. The correlation between koinobiosis with endoparasitoidism and idiobiosis with ectoparasitoidism, long thought to be an important aspect in parasitoid life history, was formally tested and confirmed in a phylogenetic framework. Using ancestral reconstruction methods based on both parsimony and maximum likelihood, we suggest that the ancestor of the braconoid complex was a koinobiont endoparasitoid, as was that of the cyclostome sensu lato clade. Our results also provide strong evidence for one transition from endo- to ectoparasitoidism and three reversals back to endoparasitoidism within the cyclostome sensu stricto lineage. Transitions of koino- and idiobiosis were identical to those inferred for endo- versus ectoparasitoidism, except with one additional reversal back to koinobiosis in the small subfamily Rhysipolinae.

Boosting targeted genome editing using the hei-tag.

Precise, targeted genome editing by CRISPR/Cas9 is key for basic research and translational approaches in model and non-model systems. While active in all species tested so far, editing efficiencies still leave room for improvement. The bacterial Cas9 needs to be efficiently shuttled into the nucleus as attempted by fusion with nuclear localization signals (NLSs). Additional peptide tags such as FLAG- or myc-tags are usually added for immediate detection or straightforward purification. Immediate activity is usually granted by administration of preassembled protein/RNA complexes. We present the 'hei-tag (high efficiency-tag)' which boosts the activity of CRISPR/Cas genome editing tools already when supplied as mRNA. The addition of the hei-tag, a myc-tag coupled to an optimized NLS via a flexible linker, to Cas9 or a C-to-T (cytosine-to-thymine) base editor dramatically enhances the respective targeting efficiency. This results in an increase in bi-allelic editing, yet reduction of allele variance, indicating an immediate activity even at early developmental stages. The hei-tag boost is active in model systems ranging from fish to mammals, including tissue culture applications. The simple addition of the hei-tag allows to instantly upgrade existing and potentially highly adapted systems as well as to establish novel highly efficient tools immediately applicable at the mRNA level.

The genetic code stored within DNA provides cells with the instructions they need to carry out their role in the body. Any changes to these genes, or the DNA sequence around them, has the potential to completely alter how a cell behaves. Scientists have developed various tools that allow them to experimentally modify the genome of cells or even entire living organisms. This includes the popular Cas9 enzyme which cuts DNA at specific sites, and base editors which can precisely change bits of genetic code without cutting DNA. While there are lots of Cas9 enzymes and base editors currently available, these often differ greatly in their activity depending on which cell type or organism they are applied to. Finding a tool that can effectively modify the genome of an organism at the right time during development also poses a challenge. All the cells in an organism arise from a single fertilized cell. If this cell is genetically edited, all its subsequent daughter cells (which make up the entire organism) will contain the genetic modification. However, most genome editing tools only work efficiently later in development, resulting in an undesirable mosaic organism composed of both edited and non-edited cells. Here, Thumberger et al. have developed a new 'high efficiency-tag' (also known as hei-tag for short) that can enhance the activity of gene editing tools and overcome this barrier. The tag improves the efficiency of gene editing by immediately shuttling a Cas9 enzyme to the nucleus, the cellular compartment that stores DNA. In all cases, gene editing tools with hei-tag worked better than those without in fish embryos and mouse cells grown in the laboratory. When Cas9 enzymes connected to a hei-tag were injected into the first fertilized cell of a fish embryo, this resulted in an even distribution of edited genes spread throughout the whole organism. To understand how a gene affects an organism, researchers need to be able to edit it as early in development as possible. Attaching the 'hei-tag' to already available tools could help boost their activity and make them more efficient. It could also allow advances in medical research aimed at replacing faulty genes with fully functioning ones.

Notogaster, a new genus of Microgastrinae (Hymenoptera: Braconidae) from New Zealand.

A new genus of Microgastrinae parasitoid wasp endemic to New Zealand, Notogaster gen. nov. Fernández-Triana and Ward, is described, with ten new species: Notogaster avilai sp. nov., N. charlesi sp. nov., N. macdonaldae sp. nov., N. martini sp. nov., N. poultonae sp. nov., N. sucklingi sp. nov., N. toddae sp. nov., N. walkeri sp. nov., N. withersae sp. nov. and N. wornerae sp. nov. Based on some features, Notogaster resembles the genus Pholetesor Mason, although morphological and molecular data reveal they are not closely related. Notogaster is found throughout New Zealand, although many species are predominantly in the South Island. Species have been collected from a range of habitats, elevations, and collecting techniques. No host information is currently available.

Corrigenda: A biodiversity hotspot for Microgastrinae (Hymenoptera, Braconidae) in North America: annotated species checklist for Ottawa, Canada.

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.3897/zookeys.633.10480.].

Annotated and illustrated world checklist of Microgastrinae parasitoid wasps (Hymenoptera, Braconidae).

A checklist of world species of Microgastrinae parasitoid wasps (Hymenoptera: Braconidae) is provided. A total of 81 genera and 2,999 extant species are recognized as valid, including 36 nominal species that are currently considered as species inquirendae. Two genera are synonymized under Apanteles. Nine lectotypes are designated. A total of 318 new combinations, three new replacement names, three species name amendments, and seven species status revised are proposed. Additionally, three species names are treated as nomina dubia, and 52 species names are considered as unavailable names (including 14 as nomina nuda). A total of three extinct genera and 12 extinct species are also listed. Unlike in many previous treatments of the subfamily, tribal concepts are judged to be inadequate, so genera are listed alphabetically. Brief diagnoses of all Microgastrinae genera, as understood in this paper, are presented. Illustrations of all extant genera (at least one species per genus, usually more) are included to showcase morphological diversity. Primary types of Microgastrinae are deposited in 108 institutions worldwide, although 76% are concentrated in 17 collections. Localities of primary types, in 138 countries, are reported. Recorded species distributions are listed by biogeographical region and by country. Microgastrine wasps are recorded from all continents except Antarctica; specimens can be found in all major terrestrial ecosystems, from 82°N to 55°S, and from sea level up to at least 4,500 m a.s.l. The Oriental (46) and Neotropical (43) regions have the largest number of genera recorded, whereas the Palaearctic region (28) is the least diverse. Currently, the highest species richness is in the Palearctic region (827), due to more historical study there, followed by the Neotropical (768) and Oriental (752) regions, which are expected to be the most species rich. Based on ratios of Lepidoptera and Microgastrinae species from several areas, the actual world diversity of Microgastrinae is expected to be between 30,000-50,000 species; although these ratios were mostly based on data from temperate areas and thus must be treated with caution, the single tropical area included had a similar ratio to the temperate ones. Almost 45,000 specimens of Microgastrinae from 67 different genera (83% of microgastrine genera) have complete or partial DNA barcode sequences deposited in the Barcode of Life Data System; the DNA barcodes represent 3,545 putative species or Barcode Index Numbers (BINs), as estimated from the molecular data. Information on the number of sequences and BINs per genus are detailed in the checklist. Microgastrinae hosts are here considered to be restricted to Eulepidoptera, i.e., most of the Lepidoptera except for the four most basal superfamilies (Micropterigoidea, Eriocranioidea, Hepialoidea and Nepticuloidea), with all previous literature records of other insect orders and those primitive Lepidoptera lineages being considered incorrect. The following nomenclatural acts are proposed: 1) Two genera are synonymyzed under Apanteles: Cecidobracon Kieffer & Jörgensen, 1910, new synonym and Holcapanteles Cameron, 1905, new synonym; 2) Nine lectotype designations are made for Alphomelon disputabile (Ashmead, 1900), Alphomelon nigriceps (Ashmead, 1900), Cotesia salebrosa (Marshall, 1885), Diolcogaster xanthaspis (Ashmead, 1900), Dolichogenidea ononidis (Marshall, 1889), Glyptapanteles acraeae (Wilkinson, 1932), Glyptapanteles guyanensis (Cameron, 1911), Glyptapanteles militaris (Walsh, 1861), and Pseudapanteles annulicornis Ashmead, 1900; 3) Three new replacement names are a) Diolcogaster aurangabadensis Fernandez-Triana, replacing Diolcogaster indicus (Rao & Chalikwar, 1970) [nec Diolcogaster indicus (Wilkinson, 1927)], b) Dolichogenidea incystatae Fernandez-Triana, replacing Dolichogenidea lobesia Liu & Chen, 2019 [nec Dolichogenidea lobesia Fagan-Jeffries & Austin, 2019], and c) Microplitis vitobiasi Fernandez-Triana, replacing Microplitis variicolor Tobias, 1964 [nec Microplitis varicolor Viereck, 1917]; 4) Three names amended are Apanteles irenecarrilloae Fernandez-Triana, 2014, Cotesia ayerzai (Brèthes, 1920), and Cotesia riverai (Porter, 1916); 5) Seven species have their status revised: Cotesia arctica (Thomson, 1895), Cotesia okamotoi (Watanabe, 1921), Cotesia ukrainica (Tobias, 1986), Dolichogenidea appellator (Telenga, 1949), Dolichogenidea murinanae (Capek & Zwölfer, 1957), Hypomicrogaster acarnas Nixon, 1965, and Nyereria nigricoxis (Wilkinson, 1932); 6) New combinations are given for 318 species: Alloplitis congensis, Alloplitis detractus, Apanteles asphondyliae, Apanteles braziliensis, Apanteles sulciscutis, Choeras aper, Choeras apollion, Choeras daphne, Choeras fomes, Choeras gerontius, Choeras helle, Choeras irates, Choeras libanius, Choeras longiterebrus, Choeras loretta, Choeras recusans, Choeras sordidus, Choeras stenoterga, Choeras superbus, Choeras sylleptae, Choeras vacillatrix, Choeras vacillatropsis, Choeras venilia, Cotesia asavari, Cotesia bactriana, Cotesia bambeytripla, Cotesia berberidis, Cotesia bhairavi, Cotesia biezankoi, Cotesia bifida, Cotesia caligophagus, Cotesia cheesmanae, Cotesia compressithorax, Cotesia delphinensis, Cotesia effrena, Cotesia euphobetri, Cotesia elaeodes, Cotesia endii, Cotesia euthaliae, Cotesia exelastisae, Cotesia hiberniae, Cotesia hyperion, Cotesia hypopygialis, Cotesia hypsipylae, Cotesia jujubae, Cotesia lesbiae, Cotesia levigaster, Cotesia lizeri, Cotesia malevola, Cotesia malshri, Cotesia menezesi, Cotesia muzaffarensis, Cotesia neptisis, Cotesia nycteus, Cotesia oeceticola, Cotesia oppidicola, Cotesia opsiphanis, Cotesia pachkuriae, Cotesia paludicolae, Cotesia parbhanii, Cotesia parvicornis, Cotesia pratapae, Cotesia prozorovi, Cotesia pterophoriphagus, Cotesia radiarytensis, Cotesia rangii, Cotesia riverai, Cotesia ruficoxis, Cotesia senegalensis, Cotesia seyali, Cotesia sphenarchi, Cotesia sphingivora, Cotesia transuta, Cotesia turkestanica, Diolcogaster abengouroui, Diolcogaster agama, Diolcogaster ambositrensis, Diolcogaster anandra, Diolcogaster annulata, Diolcogaster bambeyi, Diolcogaster bicolorina, Diolcogaster cariniger, Diolcogaster cincticornis, Diolcogaster cingulata, Diolcogaster coronata, Diolcogaster coxalis, Diolcogaster dipika, Diolcogaster earina, Diolcogaster epectina, Diolcogaster epectinopsis, Diolcogaster grangeri, Diolcogaster heterocera, Diolcogaster homocera, Diolcogaster indica, Diolcogaster insularis, Diolcogaster kivuana, Diolcogaster mediosulcata, Diolcogaster megaulax, Diolcogaster neglecta, Diolcogaster nigromacula, Diolcogaster palpicolor, Diolcogaster persimilis, Diolcogaster plecopterae, Diolcogaster plutocongoensis, Diolcogaster psilocnema, Diolcogaster rufithorax, Diolcogaster semirufa, Diolcogaster seyrigi, Diolcogaster subtorquata, Diolcogaster sulcata, Diolcogaster torquatiger, Diolcogaster tristiculus, Diolcogaster turneri, Diolcogaster vulcana, Diolcogaster wittei, Distatrix anthedon, Distatrix cerales, Distatrix cuspidalis, Distatrix euproctidis, Distatrix flava, Distatrix geometrivora, Distatrix maia, Distatrix tookei, Distatrix termina, Distatrix simulissima, Dolichogenidea agamedes, Dolichogenidea aluella, Dolichogenidea argiope, Dolichogenidea atreus, Dolichogenidea bakeri, Dolichogenidea basiflava, Dolichogenidea bersa, Dolichogenidea biplagae, Dolichogenidea bisulcata, Dolichogenidea catonix, Dolichogenidea chrysis, Dolichogenidea coffea, Dolichogenidea coretas, Dolichogenidea cyane, Dolichogenidea diaphantus, Dolichogenidea diparopsidis, Dolichogenidea dryas, Dolichogenidea earterus, Dolichogenidea ensiger, Dolichogenidea eros, Dolichogenidea evadne, Dolichogenidea falcator, Dolichogenidea gelechiidivoris, Dolichogenidea gobica, Dolichogenidea hyalinis, Dolichogenidea iriarte, Dolichogenidea lakhaensis, Dolichogenidea lampe, Dolichogenidea laspeyresiella, Dolichogenidea latistigma, Dolichogenidea lebene, Dolichogenidea lucidinervis, Dolichogenidea malacosomae, Dolichogenidea maro, Dolichogenidea mendosae, Dolichogenidea monticola, Dolichogenidea nigra, Dolichogenidea olivierellae, Dolichogenidea parallelis, Dolichogenidea pelopea, Dolichogenidea pelops, Dolichogenidea phaenna, Dolichogenidea pisenor, Dolichogenidea roepkei, Dolichogenidea scabra, Dolichogenidea statius, Dolichogenidea stenotelas, Dolichogenidea striata, Dolichogenidea wittei, Exoryza asotae, Exoryza belippicola, Exoryza hylas, Exoryza megagaster, Exoryza oryzae, Glyptapanteles aggestus, Glyptapanteles agynus, Glyptapanteles aithos, Glyptapanteles amenophis, Glyptapanteles antarctiae, Glyptapanteles anubis, Glyptapanteles arginae, Glyptapanteles argus, Glyptapanteles atylana, Glyptapanteles badgleyi, Glyptapanteles bataviensis, Glyptapanteles bistonis, Glyptapanteles borocerae, Glyptapanteles cacao, Glyptapanteles cadei, Glyptapanteles cinyras, Glyptapanteles eryphanidis, Glyptapanteles euproctisiphagus, Glyptapanteles eutelus, Glyptapanteles fabiae, Glyptapanteles fulvigaster, Glyptapanteles fuscinervis, Glyptapanteles gahinga, Glyptapanteles globatus, Glyptapanteles glyphodes, Glyptapanteles guierae, Glyptapanteles horus, Glyptapanteles intricatus, Glyptapanteles lamprosemae, Glyptapanteles lefevrei, Glyptapanteles leucotretae, Glyptapanteles lissopleurus, Glyptapanteles madecassus, Glyptapanteles marquesi, Glyptapanteles melanotus, Glyptapanteles melissus, Glyptapanteles merope, Glyptapanteles naromae, Glyptapanteles nepitae, Glyptapanteles nigrescens, Glyptapanteles ninus, Glyptapanteles nkuli, Glyptapanteles parasundanus, Glyptapanteles penelope, Glyptapanteles penthocratus, Glyptapanteles philippinensis, Glyptapanteles philocampus, Glyptapanteles phoebe, Glyptapanteles phytometraduplus, Glyptapanteles propylae, Glyptapanteles puera, Glyptapanteles seydeli, Glyptapanteles siderion, Glyptapanteles simus, Glyptapanteles speciosissimus, Glyptapanteles spilosomae, Glyptapantelessubpunctatus, Glyptapanteles thespis, Glyptapanteles thoseae, Glyptapanteles venustus, Glyptapanteles wilkinsoni, Hypomicrogaster samarshalli, Iconella cajani, Iconella detrectans, Iconella jason, Iconella lynceus, Iconella pyrene, Iconella tedanius, Illidops azamgarhensis, Illidops lamprosemae, Illidops trabea, Keylimepie striatus, Microplitis adisurae, Microplitis mexicanus, Neoclarkinella ariadne, Neoclarkinella curvinervus, Neoclarkinella sundana, Nyereria ituriensis, Nyereria nioro, Nyereria proagynus, Nyereria taoi, Nyereria vallatae, Parapanteles aethiopicus, Parapanteles alternatus, Parapanteles aso, Parapanteles atellae, Parapanteles bagicha, Parapanteles cleo, Parapanteles cyclorhaphus, Parapanteles demades, Parapanteles endymion, Parapanteles epiplemicidus, Parapanteles expulsus, Parapanteles fallax, Parapanteles folia, Parapanteles furax, Parapanteles hemitheae, Parapanteles hyposidrae, Parapanteles indicus, Parapanteles javensis, Parapanteles jhaverii, Parapanteles maculipalpis, Parapanteles maynei, Parapanteles neocajani, Parapanteles neohyblaeae, Parapanteles nydia, Parapanteles prosper, Parapanteles prosymna, Parapanteles punctatissimus, Parapanteles regalis, Parapanteles sarpedon, Parapanteles sartamus, Parapanteles scultena, Parapanteles transvaalensis, Parapanteles turri, Parapanteles xanthopholis, Pholetesor acutus, Pholetesor brevivalvatus, Pholetesor extentus, Pholetesor ingenuoides, Pholetesor kuwayamai, Promicrogaster apidanus, Promicrogaster briareus, Promicrogaster conopiae, Promicrogaster emesa, Promicrogaster grandicula, Promicrogaster orsedice, Promicrogaster repleta, Promicrogaster typhon, Sathon bekilyensis, Sathon flavofacialis, Sathon laurae, Sathon mikeno, Sathon ruandanus, Sathon rufotestaceus, Venanides astydamia, Venanides demeter, Venanides parmula, and Venanides symmysta.

Diolcogaster choi sp. nov. from Brazil, a new gregarious microgastrine parasitoid wasp (Hymenoptera: Braconidae) reared from Hypercompe cunigunda (Lepidoptera: Erebidae) in Brazil

Abstract A new species of Diolcogaster (Hymenoptera: Braconidae) is described and illustrated. Additionally, its position within the recently published key to New World species of the xanthaspis species-group (to which the described Diolcogaster belongs) is provided. The gregarious larval parasitoid Diolcogaster choi sp. nov. was collected in Maringá, Paraná State, Brazil. This natural enemy was recovered from a caterpillar of Hypercompe cunigunda (Stoll, 1781) (Lepidoptera: Erebidae) that was feeding on plant of passionflower, Passiflora edulis Sims (Passifloraceae). The fauna of the xanthaspis group in the New World now includes five species, including the new species from Brazil described in this paper. Diolcogaster choi sp. nov. differs anatomically, and is morphologically diagnosed, from all other known member of the xanthaspis group of the genus Diolcogaster, to which it belongs. The species also differs in recorded host, and its DNA barcode appears to be distinctive among described Diolcogaster.

A species-level taxonomic review and host associations of Glyptapanteles (Hymenoptera, Braconidae, Microgastrinae) with an emphasis on 136 new reared species from Costa Rica and Ecuador.

The descriptive taxonomic study reported here is focused on Glyptapanteles, a species-rich genus of hymenopteran parasitoid wasps. The species were found within the framework of two independent long-term Neotropical caterpillar rearing projects: northwestern Costa Rica (Área de Conservación Guanacaste, ACG) and eastern Andes, Ecuador (centered on Yanayacu Biological Station, YBS). One hundred thirty-six new species of Glyptapanteles Ashmead are described and all of them are authored by Arias-Penna. None of them was recorded in both countries; thus, 78 are from Costa Rica and the remaining 58 from Ecuador. Before this revision, the number of Neotropical described Glyptapanteles did not reach double digits. Reasonable boundaries among species were generated by integrating three datasets: Cytochrome Oxidase I (COI) gene sequencing data, natural history (host records), and external morphological characters. Each species description is accompanied by images and known geographical distribution. Characteristics such as shape, ornamentation, and location of spun Glyptapanteles cocoons were imaged as well. Host-parasitoid associations and food plants are also here published for the first time. A total of 88 species within 84 genera in 15 Lepidoptera families was encountered as hosts in the field. With respect to food plants, these wild-caught parasitized caterpillars were reared on leaves of 147 species within 118 genera in 60 families. The majority of Glyptapanteles species appeared to be relatively specialized on one family of Lepidoptera or even on some much lower level of taxonomic refinement. Those herbivores in turn are highly food-plant specialized, and once caterpillars were collected, early instars (1-3) yielded more parasitoids than later instars. Glyptapanteles jimmilleri Arias-Penna, sp. nov. is the first egg-larval parasitoid recorded within the genus, though there may be many more since such natural history requires a more focused collection of eggs. The rate of hyperparasitoidism within the genus was approximately 4% and was represented by Mesochorus spp. (Ichneumonidae). A single case of multiparasitoidism was reported, Copidosoma floridanum Ashmead (Encyrtidae) and Glyptapanteles ilarisaaksjarvi Arias-Penna, sp. nov. both parasitoid species emerged from the caterpillar of Noctuidae: Condica cupienta (Cramer). Bodyguard behavior was observed in two Glyptapanteles species: G. howelldalyi Arias-Penna, sp. nov. and G. paulhansoni Arias-Penna, sp. nov. A dichotomous key for all the new species is provided. The numerous species described here, and an equal number already reared but not formally described, signal a far greater Glyptapanteles species richness in the Neotropics than suggested by the few described previously.

First record of Cotesia scotti () (Hymenoptera: Braconidae: Microgastrinae) comb. nov. parasitising Spodoptera cosmioides (Walk, 1858) and Spodoptera eridania (Stoll, 1782) (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) in Brazil

ABSTRACT This is the first report of Cotesia scotti (Valerio and Whitfield) comb. nov. in Brazil, attacking larvae of the black armyworm, Spodoptera cosmioides, and the southern armyworm, S. eridania. The moth larvae were found respectively, infesting a protected cropping of organic tomato in Hidrolândia, Goiás, Brazil, and a transgenic soybean crop in São José dos Pinhais, Paraná, Brazil. Biological, molecular and morphological characters were used to confirm the identity of the specimens. Parasitoid identification presented a challenge since the species has most diagnostic characters of the genus Cotesia Cameron, but few in the poorly defined genus Parapanteles Ashmead. Based on morphological and molecular evidence, we transfer Parapanteles scotti to the genus Cotesia. The new combination is discussed by comparison with morphologically similar species and available molecular data.

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.

yap1b, a divergent Yap/Taz family member, cooperates with yap1 in survival and morphogenesis via common transcriptional targets.

Yap1/Taz are well-known Hippo effectors triggering complex transcriptional programs controlling growth, survival and cancer progression. Here, we describe yap1b, a new Yap1/Taz family member with a unique transcriptional activation domain that cannot be phosphorylated by Src/Yes kinases. We show that yap1b evolved specifically in euteleosts (i.e. including medaka but not zebrafish) by duplication and adaptation of yap1. Using DamID-seq, we generated maps of chromatin occupancy for Yap1, Taz (Wwtr1) and Yap1b in gastrulating zebrafish and medaka embryos. Our comparative analyses uncover the genetic programs controlled by Yap family proteins during early embryogenesis, and show largely overlapping targets for Yap1 and Yap1b. CRISPR/Cas9-induced mutation of yap1b in medaka does not result in an overt phenotype during embryogenesis or adulthood. However, yap1b mutation strongly enhances the embryonic malformations observed in yap1 mutants. Thus yap1-/-; yap1b-/- double mutants display more severe body flattening, eye misshaping and increased apoptosis than yap1-/- single mutants, thus revealing overlapping gene functions. Our results indicate that, despite its divergent transactivation domain, Yap1b cooperates with Yap1 to regulate cell survival and tissue morphogenesis during early development.