PEET: Classification of Aphelinidae and Trichogrammitidae (Insecta: Hymenoptera: Chalcidoidea)

9978150Heraty和Pinto小蜂属于小蜂总科，是世界范围内重要的生防剂，在自然和农业环境中都有对蚜虫、介壳虫和粉虱的影响。尽管大约18,000个学名已经被记录为该群，但对这些小黄蜂的分类、分类和系统发育了解还很不发达。由于成虫通常不到2毫米大小，因此几乎没有容易辨别的特征来帮助识别和分类，该组的分类依赖于繁琐的显微镜检查，通常来自有限的标本。来自电子显微镜的全虫群新的形态特征，以及来自基因测序的新的DNA证据，现在提供了该领域的振兴，加州大学河滨分校的这个强大的研究团队做出了开创性的贡献。与世界上剩下的相对较少的专家建立了一个令人印象深刻的合作网络，这些同事还将促进新的实地标本收集和对欧洲和澳大利亚现有主要博物馆藏品的研究。研究生培训建立在大学对昆虫学研究和培训的实质性承诺基础上。该项目的数据库方面建立在一个致力于黄蜂生物学和系统学研究的现有网站的基础上，标本数据的库存不断扩大。

9978150Heraty and Pinto Small parasitic wasps of the Chalcidoidea group are important biocontrol agents throughout the world, with recorded effects on aphids, scale insects, and whitefly pests in both natural and agricultural environments. Although ca. 18,000 scientific names have been recorded for the group, the taxonomy, classification, and phylogenetic understanding of these minute wasps are poorly developed. With adults often less than 2 mm in size and consequently with few easily discernible features to aid in identification and classification, the taxonomy of the group has relied upon tedious microscopic examination, often from limited collections. New morphological characters from electron microscopy of whole-insect mounts, and new DNA evidence from gene sequencing, now offer a revitalization of the field, with pioneering contributions from this strong team of researchers at University of California-Riverside. An impressive network of collaboration has been established with the relatively few remaining specialists in the world, and these colleagues will also facilitate new field collecting of specimens and studies of existing major museum holdings in Europe and Australia. Graduate student training builds upon a substantial university commitment to research and training in entomology. Databasing aspects of the project build upon an existing website devoted to studies of wasp biology and systematics, with an expanding inventory of specimen data.