The Phylogenetic Analysis of Variable-Length Sequence Data: Elongation Factor–1α Introns in European Populations of the Parasitoid Wasp Genus Pauesia (Hymenoptera: Braconidae: Aphidiinae)
Elongation factor-1alpha (EF-1alpha) is a highly conserved nuclear coding gene that can be used to investigate recent divergences due to the presence of rapidly evolving introns. However, a universal feature of intron sequences is that even closely related species exhibit insertion and deletion events, which cause variation in the lengths of the sequences. Indels are frequently rich in evolutionary information, but most investigators ignore sites that fall within these variable regions, largely because the analytical tools and theory are not well developed. We examined this problem in the taxonomically problematic parasitoid wasp genus Pauesia (Hymenoptera: Braconidae: Aphidiinae) using con…
Venom gland and reservoir morphology in the Doryctinae and related braconid wasps (Insecta, Hymenoptera, Braconidae)
Detailed venom reservoir and venom gland intima morphology has been investigated in reprsentatives of 84 genera and 10 subfamilies of Braconidae with particular reference to the Doryctinac, basal cyclostomes and related groups including the Opiinae, Alysiinae and Rogadinae sens. lat. Several new phylogenetically significant characters are described and illustrated. Extcnsivc secretory ductules on the primary venom duct is suggested as a synapomorphy for the subfamilies Braconinac, Doryctinae, Opiinae, Alysiinae and Gnamptodontinae. The presence of two separate venom gland insertions and their position beyond the spiral sculpture of the reservoir are suggested as synapomorphies for the subfa…