Abstract
In this study two molecular markers were used to establish taxonomic status and phylogenetic relationships of Ephedrus subgenera and species distributed in Europe. Fifteen of the nineteen currently known species have been analysed, representing three subgenera: Breviephedrus Gärdenfors, 1986, Lysephedrus Starý, 1958 and Ephedrus Haliday, 1833. The results of analysis of COI and EF1α molecular markers and morphological studies did not support this classification. Three clades separated by the highest genetic distances reported for the subfamily Aphidiinae on intrageneric level. Ephedrus brevis is separated from persicae and plagiator species groups with genetic distances of 19.6 % and 16.3 % respectively, while the distance between persicae and plagiator groups was 20.7 %. These results lead to the conclusion that the traditional subgeneric classification of Ephedrus needs revision. Species from persicae species group are raised to subgenus level as Fovephedrus Chen, 1986 and Lysephedrussyn. nov. is assigned as a junior synonym of subgenus Ephedrus. Key for identification of Ephedrus subgenera is provided. Ephedrus hyadaphidis Kocić & Tomanović sp. nov. is described and several species are confirmed as valid species for the first time. Furthermore, two species are synonymised: E. dysaphidissyn. nov. as a junior synonym of E. cerasicola and E. blattnyisyn. nov. as a junior synonym of E. plagiator.
Highlights
Members of the subfamily Aphidiinae (Hymenoptera, Braconidae) display a fascinating life cycle as obligatory koinobiont parasitoids of aphids, regulating host population size and density and they are considered as a beneficial insect group
In Europe, this genus is represented with 19 valid species: Ephedrus blattnyi Starý, 1973, E. brevis Stelfox, 1941, E. cerasicola Starý, 1962, E. chaitophori Gärdenfors, 1986, E. dysaphidis Tomanović, Kavallieratos & Starý, 2005, E. helleni Mackauer, 1968, E. koponeni Halme, 1992, E. lacertosus Haliday, 1833, E. laevicollis Thomson, 1895, E. longistigmus Gärdenfors, 1986, E. lonicerae Tomanović, Kavallieratos & Starý, 2009, E. nacheri Quilis Perez, 1934, E. niger Gautier, Bonnamour & Gaumont, 1929, E. persicae Froggatt, 1904, E. plagiator Nees, 1811, E. prociphili Starý, 1982, E. vaccinii Gärdenfors, 1986, E. validus Haliday, 1833 and E. tamaricis Tomanović & Petrović, 2016
There are three more species which apparently inhabit Europe, E. angustithoracicus Kiriyak, 1977, E. hyaloptericolus Kiriyak, 1977 and E. mandjuriensis Kiriyak, 1977, these cannot be treated as valid species in absence of available type material and with species descriptions corresponding to E. nacheri, E. niger and E. plagiator, respectively
Summary
Members of the subfamily Aphidiinae (Hymenoptera, Braconidae) display a fascinating life cycle as obligatory koinobiont parasitoids of aphids, regulating host population size and density and they are considered as a beneficial insect group. Specialisation to a certain aphid host ranges from strict specialists that parasitise only one species or genus (e.g., E. prociphili, specialised parasitoid of the genus Prociphilus Koch, 1857) to broadly oligophagous (or polyphagous) species such as E. persicae and E. plagiator. Both species have been found to attack more than 100 aphid species (each) belonging to different tribes (Starý 1981, Gärdenfors 1986, Žikić et al 2009, 2017a). Several recent studies suggest that generalist Aphidiinae species might not be that broadly oligophagous, but instead composed of cryptic species complexes (Mitrovski-Bogdanović et al 2013, Derocles et al 2016, Petrović et al 2016)
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