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Apanteles_nigrofemoratus_habitus

Microgastrinae

of the Afrotropical region

(Life: Kingdom: Metazoa (animals); Phylum: Arthropoda; Class: Hexapoda; Order: Hymenoptera;  Superfamily: Ichneumonoidea; Family: Braconidae)

Classification

 

Alloplitis Nixon, 1965

Apanteles Förster,1862
Beyarslania Koçak & Kemal, 2009
Buluka de Saeger,1948
Carlmuesebeckius Fernandez-Triana, 2018
Choeras Mason, 1981
Cotesia Cameron,1891
  Deuterixys  Mason,1981
Diolcogaster Ashmead,1900

Distatrix Mason,1981

Dodogaster Rousse 2013

Dolichogenidea Viereck,1911

Exoryza Mason, 1981

Exulonyx Mason,1981

 

Fornicia Brullé,1846

Glyptapanteles Asmead, 1904

 

Hypomicrogaster Ashmead,1898

  Iconella Mason, 1981
Illidops Mason, 1981
Jenopappius Fernandez-Triana, 2018
Keylimepie Fernandez-Triana, 2016
 

Microgaster Latreille,1804

Microplitis Förster,1862
  Miropotes Nixon, 1965
Nyereria Mason, 1981
Ohenri Fernandez-Triana, 2018
Parapanteles Ashmead,1900
Philoplitis Nixon,1965
  Promicrogaster Brues & Richardson, 1913
  Protapanteles Ashmead,1898 (Nearctic, Oriental, Palaearctic regions)
  Protomicroplitis Ashmead, 1898 (Neotropical region)
  Rasivalva Mason, 1981
  Sathon Mason, 1981
Semionis Nixon, 1965
Silvaspinosus Fernandez-Triana, 2018
Venanides Mason, 1981
Wilkinsonellus Mason, 1981
Ypsilonigaster Fernandez-Triana, 2018

Observations and above photographs recorded by Desiré Pelser of Earth & Oceans (April 2020): "Every few years in Autumn, an explosion of Rhenea michii caterpillars decimates a Cape Ash (Ekebergia capensis) in our front garden in Kloof, Kwazulu-Natal (South Africa). It's a very strange experience standing under the tree: above you, the audible clicks and rustles as hordes of caterpillars munch away; beneath your feet, thick layers of frass like coarse black sand. The tree is quickly stripped bare, and just as quickly bursts back into new life with the first rays of spring.
Caterpillars often fall from the tree - small, early instar caterpillars less than a centimeter long; large, voluptuous 6cm caterpillars ready to start their metamorphosis into beautiful moths.
Yesterday, I noticed two small (12mm) fallen caterpillars under the tree, very still and hanging onto a dried Dietes stalk. Near them on the stalk were two white parasitic wasp cocoons, and crawling near those were what looked like two very tiny (2mm) worms. I have often seen parasitised caterpillars, but never the wasp larvae as they emerge from the unlucky caterpillar and before they spin their cocoons!
The scene I managed to capture with the help of my macro lens probably took about 3 minutes or so - and was fascinating to watch. The caterpillar, still alive, suddenly jerked back and forth and then a wasp larva slowly emerged. The larva worked its way out of the caterpillar's body by moving back and forth. About half way through, the larva, which seemed exhausted, moved its head (?) under the caterpillar's foot and rubbed itself back and forth. The caterpillar suddenly jerked again and the larva popped out, already spinning its cocoon. Amazing!"

Biology

Solitary or gregararious endoparasitoids (koinobiont) of Lepidoptera larvae.

Diversity

Currently 81 genera and 2999 extant species are recognized as valid, including 36 nominal species that are currently considered as species inquirendae (Fernandez-Triana et al., 2020).

Distribution

Worldwide.

References

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Fernandez-Triana, J & Boudreault, C. 2016. Keylimepie peckorum gen. n. and sp. n., (Hymenoptera, Braconidae) from southern Florida, U.S., the first known brachypterous member of the subfamily Microgastrinae. ZooKeys 58: 95-107.

 http://dx.doi.org/10.3897/zookeys.584.8319 

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Fernández-Triana, J.L., Ward, D.F. and Whitfield, J.B. 2011. Kiwigaster gen. nov. (Hymenoptera: Braconidae) from NewZealand: the first Microgastrinae with sexual dimorphism in number of antennal segments. Zootaxa, 2932, 24–32.

Fernandez-Triana JL, Whitfield JB, Smith MA, Dapkey T, Hallwachs W, Janzen DH 2016. Review of the world species of Exoryza (Hymenoptera, Braconidae, Microgastrinae), with description of five new species. Deutsche Entomologische Zeitschrift 63(2): 195-210. doi: 10.3897/dez.63.8977

Fernandez-Triana J, Beaudin M, van Achterberg K, Agbodzavu MK, Othim STO, Nyamu FW, Fiaboe KKM. 2017. DNA barcodes, expanded distribution, and redescription of Apanteles hemara Nixon, 1965 (Hymenoptera, Braconidae, Microgastrinae), a potential biocontrol species against amaranth leaf-webbers in Africa. Journal of Hymenoptera Research 58: 1–15.

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Credits

Photographs © Pascal Rousse, or © Desiré Pelser, or

Photographs © Jose L Fernandez-Triana (Canadian National Collection of Insects, Ottawa, Canada).

Map illustration © Simon van Noort (Iziko Museums of South Africa).


Web author Simon van Noort (Iziko South African Museum)

 

Citation: van Noort, S. 2024. WaspWeb: Hymenoptera of the World. URL: www.waspweb.org (accessed on <day/month/year>).

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