ARTS: Classification and evolution of the ant-parasitic genus Orasema (Hymenoptera: Eucharitidae)

这个项目的目标是对蚂蚁寄生虫的一个特殊群体——蚂蚁寄生虫进行分类修订。成年黄蜂在远离寄主的植物组织中产卵，它们微小的幼虫使用各种专门的行为进入蚂蚁巢穴并攻击蚂蚁窝。虽然在一些栖息地很常见，但人们对这些黄蜂知之甚少。利用分子和形态学工具，本研究将描述来自北美和南美的170多种物种，并为它们之间的关系提供一个强有力的进化假设。今后的研究将集中在鉴定关键字的开发，以及对其产卵行为、寄主关联和寄主偏好的研究。Orasema攻击一些最具侵略性和传染性的蚂蚁，包括火蚁属和火蚁属的火蚁，以及入侵的大头蚁。成熟、精密的种级分类学将有助于更好地评价其在生物防治中的应用潜力。Orasema属于Chalcidoidea，这是一个主要由寄生蜂组成的超级多样化谱系，估计有超过50万种。这个经济上重要的群体迫切需要分类学专业知识，培训将集中在培养新的研究人员和加速描述过程的新方法上。

This project will target a taxonomic revision of the genus Orasema, a specialized group of ant parasites. Adult wasps lay their eggs away from the host in plant tissue, and their minute larvae use a variety of specialized behaviors to gain access to the ant nest and attack the ant brood. While common in some habitats, very little is known about these wasps. Using both molecular and morphological tools, this study will describe more than 170 species from North and South America, and provide a robust evolutionary hypothesis of their relationships. Research will focus on developing identification keys, and the study of their oviposition behavior, host associations and host preferences. Orasema attack some of the most invasive and pestiferous species of ants, including fire ants in the genera Solenopsis and Wasmannia, and the invasive Pheidole megacephala. A mature and sophisticated species-level taxonomy will help to better evaluate the potential of Orasema for use in biological control. Orasema belong to the Chalcidoidea, a megadiverse lineage of mostly parasitic wasps with more than 500,000 estimated species. Taxonomic expertise is desperately needed for this economically important group, and training will focus on novel methods to train new researchers and accelerate the descriptive process.