0000000000161166
AUTHOR
Josep Daniel Asís
Dacnusa cicerina (Hymenoptera: Braconidae: Alysiinae), A New Species of Endoparasitoid of Liriomyza cicerina (Diptera: Agromyzidae)
Abstract The larvae, pupa, adults, and venom apparatus of Dacnusa cicerina sp. n., an endoparasitoid of Liriomyza cicerina (Rondani), found on Cicer arietinum Linnaeus in Spain, are described, illustrated, and compared with those of allied species. The mature larva of Eurytoma sp., possibly a hyperparasitoid of D. cicerina, also is described, illustrated, and compared with those of allied species. Keys to discriminate adults are provided and morphological structures of phylogenetic value are discussed. The adults of D. cicerina are similar to those of Dacnusa rodriguezi Docavo & Tormos (1997). The immature larvae are similar to those of Dacnusa areolaris (Nees) and Dacnusa dryas (Nixon), an…
The interplay of landscape composition and configuration: new pathways to manage functional biodiversity and agroecosystem services across Europe
Managing agricultural landscapes to support biodiversity and ecosystem services is a key aim of a sustainable agriculture. However, how the spatial arrangement of crop fields and other habitats in landscapes impacts arthropods and their functions is poorly known. Synthesising data from 49 studies (1515 landscapes) across Europe, we examined effects of landscape composition (% habitats) and configuration (edge density) on arthropods in fields and their margins, pest control, pollination and yields. Configuration effects interacted with the proportions of crop and non-crop habitats, and species’ dietary, dispersal and overwintering traits led to contrasting responses to landscape variables. O…
Female–female attraction influences nest establishment in the digger wasp Stizus continuus (Hymenoptera: Crabronidae)
Although digger wasps are good models for the study of nest site selection, the behaviour of females in relation to time of nest establishment has rarely been considered despite this being the key to discrimination between substrate availability-based and a female attraction-based selection. We carried out a study on nest establishment by the digger wasp Stizus continuus (Klug), giving to all nests dug by the wasps both spatial (nearest neighbour distance to nests, proximity of vegetation, soil hardness) and temporal (day of excavation) attributes. Stizus continuus females dug more nests under bush edges, where the soil was much softer. There was no tendency for females to maximize distance…
Emergence and dispersal relative to natal nest in the digger wasp Stizus continuus (Hymenoptera: Crabronidae).
The position of the emerging point has rarely been investigated as a factor possibly affecting the future nest settlement behaviour in Hymenoptera, in particular within nest aggregations. We studied the emergence and dispersion patterns of the digger wasp Stizus continuus. Individuals emerged daily in clumped patterns, possibly revealing a certain synchrony of emergence from the same nests, and protandry appeared both at seasonal and daily level. Differences between the number of females that nested relatively close or far from their emergence holes (EH) were either significant or not, depending on the year, and observed dispersal distances from the natal nests did not differ from those obt…
Predatory habits of the grasshopper-hunting waspStizus continuus(Hymenoptera: Crabronidae): diet preference, predator–prey size relationships and foraging capacity
In a coastal salt-marsh of Spain, the digger wasp Stizus continuus primarily hunted for grasshoppers of the genus Heteracris, revealing (at least in the period of the study and in this area) this wasp to be almost monophagous. In contrast, grasshoppers of the genus Acrotylus were ignored by the wasps in spite of their high abundance in the environment. We hypothesize that this bias occurred because Acrotylus is found more often on the soil and on grasses, while Heteracris is nearly only found on Sarcocornia bushes, which probably represent the habitat mostly exploited by the wasps for hunting. The greater variance in size of the prey collected by larger females produced weak wasp–prey size …
Description of the final instar of Trichomalopsis peregrina (Hymenoptera, Pteromalidae), with data and comments on the preimaginal stages
The preimaginal stages of T. peregrina are described. The egg displays a sculptured chorion, which is found only on those deposited externally. The immature larvae are characterized by their peculiarities in (a) a setose ring on the thoracic and abdominal segments, (b) an anal notch and (c) size and the sensory structures of the head capsule. The final instar is described and illustrated. Morphological structures of diagnostic value are discussed. The most salient character shown by the mature larva of this species lies in the epistoma, which is complete. Resumen. Se describen las fases de huevo y larva de T. peregrina . El huevo, como es característico en los que se depositan externamente,…