Here we describe and illustrate a new parasitoid wasp species, Lathrolestes gauldisp. n. from the lowland rainforest of eastern Ecuador and provide a key to the Neotropical species of the genus. This is the first record of the subfamily Ctenopelmatinae from Ecuador.

Two new species of the parasitoid wasp genus Spathius Nees (Braconidae: Doryctinae) from Mexico, S. mexicanus sp. n. and S. chamelae sp. n., are described and illustrated. These represent the second and third described species of this highly diverse Old World genus in the Neotropics, and the first described species recorded for the Mexican territory.

The cellular immune response against parasitoid wasps in Drosophila involves the activation, mobilization, proliferation and differentiation of different blood cell types. Here, we have assessed the role of Edin (elevated during infection) in the immune response against the parasitoid wasp Leptopilina boulardi in Drosophila melanogaster larvae. The expression of edin was induced within hours af...

The population dynamics of a parasite depend on species traits, host dynamics and the environment. Those dynamics are reflected in the genetic structure of the population. Habitat fragmentation has a greater impact on parasites than on their hosts because resource distribution is increasingly fragmented for species at higher trophic levels. This could lead to either more or less genetic structu...

Insect parasitoids and herbivores must balance the risk of egg limitation and time limitation in order to maximize reproductive success. Egg and time limitation are mediated by oviposition and egg maturation rates as well as by starvation risk and other determinants of adult lifespan. Here, we assessed egg load and nutritional state in the soybean aphid parasitoid Binodoxys communis under field...

We tested the enemy hypothesis for gall morphology on a model system comprising two Diplolepis rose gall wasp species and their associated parasitoids. The enemy hypothesis predicts both that gall traits will influence parasitoid attack rates within species, and that galls with contrasting morphologies will support different parasitoid communities. This hypothesis is supported by studies at bot...

A new species of parasitoid wasp (Braconidae, Microgastrinae) from the kingdom Saudi Arabia (KSA) is described, Microplitis idreesae sp. nov. The genus reported for first time in Eastern province KSA. This host-parasitoid association documented country. attacks Mythimna Ochsenheimer (Lepidoptera, Noctuidae). Natural history information provided such as males with females, geographical location,...

the aphidiine parasitoids (hym., braconidae) attacking the pest aphids on various pome and stone fruit trees in different parts of iranwere studied. a total of 13 species belonging to seven genera of aphid parasitoids were identified in association with 17 aphid species on 10 different species of fruit trees. sixty nine tritrophic associations were detected from the studied area of which 25 ass...