Vespoidea

About: Vespoidea is a research topic. Over the lifetime, 1365 publications have been published within this topic receiving 11769 citations.

Hymenoptera fauna, with emphasis on Ichneumonidae from an area of Caatinga in Northeast Brazil

Abstract: The objectives of this study were to carry out a survey of families of Hymenoptera, with emphasis on Ichneumonidae, in an area of Caatinga, and register the occurrence of new species, if any, for the biome. Samples were taken with Malaise traps between September and November 2008 in a native area of vegetation of Serra do Lima, municipality of Patu, Rio Grande do Norte, Brazil. 7,562 hymenopterans, from 11 superfamilies and 31 families, were collected. The most abundant superfamilies were: Chalcidoidea (2,887 specimens / 38.33% of the total), Platygastroidea (1,572 / 20.87%) and Vespoidea (1,131 / 15.02%) which constituted more than 70% of the captured hymenopterans. A total of 160 specimens of Ichneumonidae from 17 subfamilies were sampled, of which four are new records for Rio Grande do Norte: (Lycorininae, Nesomesochorinae, Phygadeuontinae and Tryphoninae). Altogether, 26 genera were recognized, with 16 new records for the state. Cryptophion espinozai Gauld & Janzen (Campopleginae) and Labena marginata Szepligeti (Labeninae) were registered for the first time in Caatinga. The obtained data demonstrate a considerable diversity of the studied groups in this area and also affirms the necessity of additional studies to establish the richness of this fauna in a more extensive and conclusive way.

Description of the Ergatoid Queen of Pogonomyrmex mayri with Notes on the Worker and Male (Hym., Formicidae)

Abstract: During a recent stay in Santa Marta on the north coast of Colotnbia, I had the opportunity to study Pogonomyrmex mayri, the sole tnetnber of the subgenus Forelomyrmex, whose entire range is the desert and dry deciduous forest below 200 tn. on the northwestern, western, and possibly southern skirts of the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta. This ant was described by Forel (1899: 61-62, footnote) from worker(s) and tnale(s) he collected. Neither he nor subsequent entotnologists, including P. J. Darlington, found fetnales. The reason fetnales were unknown became clear as I worked in the area and later began to look at the biology of P. mayri tnore closely. Though I collected tnales frotn vegetation nearly year around (3 Sept. to 30 June), no winged fetnales were seen in two years. Furthermore, only after thoroughly excavating 10 nests were any fetnales found at all, one in each of 2 nests dug by tny coworker, Maria del Cartnen Hincapi6, and her assistant. Both were ergatoid nest queens. This paper presents a fortnal description of those queens, notes on the worker and male suppletnenting Forel’s original description, and a discussion of the taxonotnic status of Pogonomyrmex mayri. Notes on the biology of P. mayri will be reported later.