| Dusona aemula | |
|---|---|
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Insecta |
| Order: | Hymenoptera |
| Family: | Ichneumonidae |
| Genus: | Dusona |
| Species: | D. aemula |
| Binomial name | |
| Dusona aemula Förster, 1868 | |
Dusona aemula is a species of parasitic wasp belonging to the family Ichneumonidae, subfamily Campopleginae. [1] It is a parasitoid of Geometrid moth larvae, mainly Eupithecia species. [2]
Head, antennae and thorax black. Second abodominal segment red on the posterion 0.1 - 0.3, third segment almost enirely red and forth segment often marked with red, gaster otherwise black. Front legs yellow from the trochanter, mid leg yellow from the apex of the trochanter, hind tibia yellowish medially, narrowly marked with black basally, rather broadly marked with black apically. All tarsi are darkened apically. Glymma small. Maxillary palps yellow or yellowish red. Mandibles marked with yellow. Epiplueron of the third tergite not separated by a crease. Size 7-8mm, 24-30 flagellomeres in females, 28-32 in males. Ovipositor index 0.6. Dusona aemula can be distinguished from the very similar species D. juvenilis by the length of the ovipositor and the presence of a distinct pleural part of the epicnemial carina only sometimes weakly obliterated ventrally. [3] [4]
Dusona aemula is a parasitoid of several species of Geometrid moth: Eupithecia absinthiata , Eupithecia centaureata , Eupithecia distinctaria , Eupithecia pimpinellata , Eupithecia ultimaria , Eupithecia venosata and potentially Operophtera brumata though this has not been confirmed. The wasp seems to be either bivoltine or univoltine depending on its host's life cycle and the climate, as it has at least two generations in continental Europe but only one further north. The larva overwinters in its own cocoon. Flight period between June and October. [2]
Dusona aemula is known from almost the entire palearctic region: Austria, Azerbaijan, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Finland, France, Germany, Hungary, Italy, Kazakhstan, Moldova, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Romania, Russia, Spain, Sweden, Tunisia, Turkey, Ukraine and United Kingdom. [2] [4]
The Ichneumonidae, also known as the ichneumon wasps, Darwin wasps, or ichneumonids, are a family of parasitoid wasps of the insect order Hymenoptera. They are one of the most diverse groups within the Hymenoptera with roughly 25,000 species currently described. However, this likely represents less than a quarter of their true richness as reliable estimates are lacking, along with much of the most basic knowledge about their ecology, distribution, and evolution. Ichneumonid wasps, with very few exceptions, attack the immature stages of holometabolous insects and spiders, eventually killing their hosts. They thus fulfill an important role as regulators of insect populations, both in natural and semi-natural systems, making them promising agents for biological control.
The Braconidae are a family of parasitoid wasps. After the closely related Ichneumonidae, braconids make up the second-largest family in the order Hymenoptera, with about 17,000 recognized species and many thousands more undescribed. One analysis estimated a total between 30,000 and 50,000, and another provided a narrower estimate between 42,000 and 43,000 species.
Campopleginae is a large subfamily of the parasitoid wasp family Ichneumonidae with a world-wide distribution. Species in this subfamily have been used in the biological control of the alfalfa weevil, clover weevil, various species of Heliothis, oriental army worm, European corn borer, larch sawfly, and others.
Polysphincta boops is a species belonging to the family Ichneumonidae subfamily Pimplinae.
Kollasmosoma sentum is a parasitoid wasp in the family Braconidae, which lays its eggs inside adult ants. It was featured as one of "the top 10 new species of 2012" in a list compiled by Conservationists at the Arizona State University International Institute for Species Exploration.
Diadegma auricellae is a wasp first described by Horstmann in 2008. No subspecies are listed.
Diadegma californicum is a wasp first described by G.S. Walley in 1967. No subspecies are listed.
Diadegma callisto is a wasp first described by Horstmann in 1993. No subspecies are listed.
Diadegma colutellae is a wasp first described by Horstmann in 2008. No subspecies are listed.
Anomalon cruentatum is a species of parasitoid wasps belonging to the family Ichneumonidae.
Meringopus calescens is a species of wasp belonging to the family Ichneumonidae first described by Johann Ludwig Christian Gravenhorst in 1829.
Dusona is a genus of parasitoid wasps belonging to the family Ichneumonidae. It is the most species rich genus of the subfamily Campopleginae with 442 known species.
Dusona falcator is a large species of parasitic wasp belonging to the family Ichneumonidae, subfamily Campopleginae. It is a parasitoid of the Buff-tip moth. It is one of the largest known species of Camopleginae, able to reach sizes over 20mm. The species can be found throughout the Palearctic realm.
Dusona admontina is a species of parasitic wasp belonging to the family Ichneumonidae, subfamily Campopleginae. It is a parasitoid of the larvae of Herminia grisealis.
Dusona abdominator is a species of parasitic wasp belonging to the family Ichneumonidae, subfamily Campopleginae.
Dusona juvenilis is a species of parasitic wasp belonging to the family Ichneumonidae, subfamily Campopleginae. It is a parasitoid of Eupithecia haworthiata larvae.
Dusona leptogaster is a species of parasitic wasp belonging to the family Ichneumonidae, subfamily Campopleginae. It is a parasitoid of Geometrid moth larvae, the two known hosts being Alsophila aescularia and Lomaspilis marginata.
Dusona nidulator is a species of parasitic wasp belonging to the family Ichneumonidae, subfamily Campopleginae. It is a parasitoid, but the host is unknown.
Dusona terebrator is a species of parasitic wasp belonging to the family Ichneumonidae, subfamily Campopleginae. It is a parasitoid of Noctuid moth larvae.
Callidora is a genus of parasitoid wasps belonging to the family Ichneumonidae and the subfamily Campopleginae. It is relatively species poor, with only five recognized species.