Systematics of Telenominae: Taxonomic Revision of Trissolcus and Paratelenomus

天蜂亚科是一群小黄蜂，它们都寄生在其他昆虫的卵上，从而摧毁它们的卵。到目前为止，已经发现了近600种不同的物种，但这只占其总多样性的一小部分。被攻击和杀害的宿主包括许多重要的农业、营林和医学物种。因此，这些黄蜂经常被认为是可能的生防剂。作为影响害虫种群的非化学方法，这种潜力的实现因我们无法识别和区分多种形式而受到严重抑制。这个项目的总体目标是解决这个问题：建立识别这些黄蜂的方法，并研究它们的进化和分布。这项建议的重点是被归类为三索线虫和副线虫的物种。这两个种群都是臭虫及其盟友(包括主要害虫--水稻臭虫和南方绿臭虫)的卵寄生虫。以前的研究已经解决了美洲、澳大利亚和热带亚洲的物种多样性问题。该项目将通过纳入关于非洲和温带欧亚动物群的工作来完成对这两个群体的研究。它将在世界范围内总结物种的科学分类、它们的进化关系模式以及对生物地理模式的分析。这将为进一步研究它们的生物学进化提供框架。

The Telenominae is a group of minute wasps that all parasitize and thereby destroy the eggs of other insects. Nearly 600 different species have so far been recognized, but this represents but a minor portion of its total diversity. The hosts that are attacked and killed include many species of agricultural, silvicultural, and medical importance. As a result, these wasps are often proposed as possible biological control agents. Achievement of this potential as non-chemical methods of affecting pest insect populations has been severely inhibited by our inability to recognize and distinguish among the many forms. The overall goal of this project is to address this problem: to establish means for identifying these wasps and to study their evolution and distribution. This proposal focuses on the species classified as Trissolcus and Paratelenomus. Both groups are egg parasites of stink bugs and their allies (including the major pests, the rice stink bug and the southern green stink bug). Previous studies have addressed the diversity of species in the Americas, Australia, and tropical Asia. This project will complete the study of these two groups by incorporating work on the African and temperate Eurasian faunas. It will culminate in a worldwide summary of the scientific classification of the species, of the patterns of their evolutionary relationships, and an analysis of the biogeographic patterns. This will provide the framework for further studies of the evolution of their biology.