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The monotypic subfamily Pseudophotopsidinae Bischoff, 1920 (Hymenoptera: Mutillidae) from the Arabian Peninsula is revised. Six Pseudophotopsis species are reported from Saudi Arabia, Oman and Yemen. Two new species, P. dhofarensissp. nov. (male) from Oman and P. subaureasp. nov. (male) from Saudi Arabia, are described and illustrated. The hitherto unknown female of P. mascatiana Invrea, 1962 is described

Type specimens of the bee genus Sphecodes Latreille, 1804 (Hymenoptera: Halictidae), described by Vittorio Nobile and Giuseppe Fabrizio Turissi from Italy and deposited in the Zoologische Staatssammlung, München, Germany, were studied. Detailed information on the primary types of the six nominal species and their illustrations are provided. Sphecodes banaszaki Nobile & Turrisi, 2004, syn. nov., S.

Despite the long intertwined evolutionary histories of bees and plants, bee diversity peaks in the xeric areas of the eastern and western hemispheres and not the tropics, where plant diversity is greatest. Intensive sampling in the northeast Chihuahuan Desert of Mexico and the United States provide the first quantitative estimate of bee species richness where high diversity had been predicted in North

Data on the bionomics of Dryudella stigma (Panzer, 1809) in Poland are presented. The larva is described for the first time for a European Dryudella, and second in the world with only larva of D. immigrans described before. The egg stage lasts 2–3 days, and the larval stage 11–14 days. The praepupal stage lasts the longest time and overwinters in a cocoon from mid-July to the end of May. The female

In present paper, a total of seven species of Pseudepipona is recognized from China, containing one new species and two newly recorded species. The new species Pseudepipona (Pseudepipona) punctulatasp. nov. is described and illustrated in detail. Pseudepipona (Pseudepipona) kozhevnikovi (Kostylev, 1927) and Pseudepipona (Pseudepipona) straminea (André, 1884) are first recorded from China. Four other

Zethus is the largest genus in Vespidae with over 270 species. It is currently divided into four subgenera: Z. (Zethus), Z. (Zethoides), Z. (Zethusculus) and Z. (Madecazethus). While the last three are restricted to certain biogeographic areas, the first is spread through western and eastern hemispheres. Studies have shown possible phylogenetic incongruence regarding this current division and even

A new species, Formica ribbeckei Radchenko & Perkovsky, sp. nov., is described based on four workers from late Eocene Rovno amber (Ukraine). It most resembles F. flori Mayr, 1868 but differs from the latter mainly by the 5-segmented maxillary palps with the preapical segment subequal in length to the apical one, and by the shorter first funicular segment. Fossil F. luteola Presl, 1822, F. trigona Presl

Here we present additional data on the Aphidiinae fauna of Kyrgyzstan. We identified 18 Aphidiinae species. One species new to science (Trioxys depressussp. nov.) is described, while 11 species are reported for the first time: Aphidius avenae Haliday, A. ervi Haliday, A. matricariae Haliday, A. salicis Haliday, A. urticae Haliday, Ephedrus cerasicola Starý, E. niger Gautier, Bonnamour & Gaumont, Lysiphlebus

Six new Brazilian species of the gall-associated Doryctinae genus Allorhogas are described and illustrated: A. copaibasp. nov., A. ilexaffinissp. nov., A. inquilinussp. nov., A. quarentenussp. nov., A. vassunungasp. nov. and A. viridissp. nov. We provide host plant records for five of these species, three and one of which are new host plant genera (Ilex L., Copaifera L. and Eugenia P. Micheli ex L

Two species of genus Anisotacrus Schmiedeknecht, 1913, A. externus Sheng & Sun, sp. nov. and A. senticosus Sheng & Sun, sp. nov., collected from the Natural Reserve, Huairou, Beijing, are described and illustrated. A key to the Eastern Palaearctic species of Anisotacrus is provided.

A new species, Gelis timarchae Schwarz, Shaw & Kan, is figured and described from specimens reared as a solitary endoparasitoid of fresh eggs of Timarcha nicaeensis in the south of France. Oviposition behaviour of the adult parasitoid, directly into the host cytoplasm, is described and links to videos are given. This appears to be the first record of any ichneumonid developing as an endoparasitoid

not applicable

The Australian endemic bee, Pharohylaeus lactiferus (Colletidae: Hylaeinae) is a rare species that requires conservation assessment. Prior to this study, the last published record of this bee species was from 1923 in Queensland, and nothing was known of its biology. Hence, I aimed to locate extant populations, provide biological information and undertake exploratory analyses relevant to its assessment

Disturbance sounds to deter antagonists are widespread among insects but have never been recorded for the larvae of bees. Here, we report on the production of disturbance sounds by the postdefecating larva (“prepupa”) of the Palaearctic osmiine bee Hoplitis (Alcidamea) tridentata, which constructs linear series of brood cells in excavated burrows in pithy plant stems. Upon disturbance, the prepupa

Wild bees represent a global group of highly diversified insect pollinators, nowadays concerningly well known for their widespread observed patterns of decline. Amongst them is the genus Dasypoda, a widespread Palearctic clade of solitary bees generally poorly represented in entomological collections. Among the 39 accepted species of the genus, 35 are known by both sexes, and a large number of taxa

Many wild bee species are declining globally. To design efficient mitigation strategies to slow down or reverse these trends, we urgently need to better understand their basic ecological requirements. In this context, we studied two specialist species for which ecological data are scarce: Dasypoda visnaga and Dasypoda maura. We provide for the first-time detailed information on their phenologies, morphological

The taxonomy of the apoid wasps of the genus Carinostigmus from China is studied, with description of four new species, namely Carinostigmus capiconvergens Bashir & Ma, sp. nov., Carinostigmus longivertex Bashir & Ma, sp. nov., Carinostigmus rugipunctatus Bashir & Ma, sp. nov., and Carinostigmus triangularis Bashir & Ma, sp. nov. An updated key to the Chinese species of Carinostigmus is provided.

The diversity of two subfamilies of cuckoo wasps in northeastern Brazil is reviewed. Four new species are described and illustrated: Amisega boyi Lucena, sp. nov., A. sertaneja Lucena, sp. nov., and Duckeia dudui Lucena, sp. nov. (Amiseginae), and Cleptidea nordestina Lucena, sp. nov. (Cleptinae). These new species of Amisega and Duckeia represent the first records of both genera in the core zone of

Two new species of Hybristodryinus Engel, 2005, are described from mid-Cretaceous amber of northern Myanmar: H. castaneussp. nov. (based on one male) and H. zaifuisp. nov. (based on one female). Keys to the females and males of Hybristodryinus species are modified to include the two new taxa. A syninclusion, a nymph of Cixitettiginae (Perforissidae), present in the same amber piece containing H. zaifui

A gynandromorph is an organism combining both female- and male-type tissues. While the vast majority of studies have described the morphology of gynandromorphs, their sexual behaviours remain under-explored. We studied a predominantly bilateral gynandromorph specimen of the predatory wasp Discoelius dufourii (Hymenoptera: Vespidae: Zethinae) reared from a trap-nest. In addition to describing the morphology

In this study, we surveyed aphids and associated parasitoid wasps from six important crop species (wheat, sweet pepper, eggplant, broad bean, watermelon and sorghum), collected at 12 locations in the Kurdistan region of Iraq. A total of eight species of aphids were recorded which were parasitised by eleven species of primary parasitoids belonging to the families Braconidae and Aphelinidae. In addition

Grotea ambarosasp. nov. is described, illustrated and compared to currently described species of the genus. The new species is characterized mainly by having the mesosoma 2.9× as long as high; genal projection distinct and apically subquadrate; pleural carina distinct only anteriorly to anterior transverse carina; mesosoma almost entirely amber-orange and legs with complex dark brown and white marks

This article, in memoriam, provides details of the professional life of Michael Charles Day, researcher at the Natural History Museum, London and specialist in the taxonomy of aculeate Hymenoptera especially Pompilidae. It also includes a short account of his lifelong interest in caving.

Factors affecting the ecology of a large population of Pacific cicada killers (Sphecius convallis) occupying a field of mine tailings in Ruby, AZ, were examined. Burrows were quite dense in certain areas around the periphery of the mine tailings, but were dispersed randomly within these areas. Approximately 1600 females (based on burrow counts) and 2500 males (based on mark-recapture) were recorded

Island ecosystems are particularly vulnerable to the introduction of exotic species that can have an impact on local fauna and flora. Here, the carpenter bee Xylocopa pubescens is reported in Gran Canaria (Canary Islands, Spain) for the first time. This species is native to North Africa and the Near East and shows a rapid dispersion across the city of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, together with a single

This study investigates the nesting habits of Epicharis picta in a nest aggregation located in a fragment of the Atlantic forest in Southeastern Brazil. Ten emergence-traps were set up in this nest aggregation to standardize data collection of phenology, natural enemies, and sex ratio. Epicharis picta nests were in an area of 160 m² with a density of 41 nests/m². Nest and cell architecture are described

The large and distinctive chalcidoid wasp Leptoomus janzeni Gibson, 2008, originally described from late Eocene Baltic amber, is newly recorded from coeval Rovno amber (Ukraine) based on a single well-preserved female specimen. Only 66 species of Rovno hymenopterans (49%) are also known from Baltic amber. High resolution photomicrographs and measurements of the specimen are given. Some character states

Japanese species of the muscaeforme-group, charon-group, and floridanum-group of Gryon have been revised. Among the species of the muscaeforme-group, G. fulvicoxasp. nov. is newly described. Gryon misha Kozlov & Kononova, syn. nov. is considered a junior synonym of G. japonicum (Ashmead). Gryon maruzzae Mineo, syn. nov. and G. sugonjaevi Kozlov & Kononova, syn. nov. are considered junior synonyms of

Aprostocetus smilax Gates & Zhang, sp. nov., is described from stem and leaf galls on Smilax havanensis Jacq. in southern Florida, USA. It is the third species of Aprostocetus Westwood known to induce plant galls. Two parasitoids of A. smilax are also described: Phylloxeroxenus smilax Gates & Zhang sp. nov. and Sycophila smilax Gates & Zhang, sp. nov. We conclude that A. smilax is the true gall inducer

Surveys with sentinel eggs of Bagrada hilaris (Hemiptera: Pentatomidae) in southern California retrieved two parasitoids that were not previously known to be associated with this stink bug, Trissolcus hullensis and T. utahensis (Hymenoptera: Scelionidae). Molecular and morphological analysis of these specimens is used to modify the concept of T. utahensis and assess the factors that contribute to intraspecific

The status of the genus Neorthostigma Belokobylskij, 1998 is re-established as a result of additional morphological studies. A new species, N. braetisp. nov., from Papua New Guinea is described and illustrated. Aspilota brachyclypeataFischer 1978 is transferred to Neorthostigma, hence N. brachyclypeata (Fischer, 1978), comb. nov. A new synonym is suggested, Aspilota macrops Stelfox & Graham, 1951 =

Only two species (Syzeuctus coreanus and S. sambonis) of the genus Syzeuctus were known to inhabit South Korea. In the present study, four species of this genus are newly recorded from South Korea. Among them, two species, S. albopictus Kang & Lee, sp. nov. and S. flavofacialis Kang & Lee, sp. nov., are described as new. Of the other species, the male of S. takaozanus was hitherto unknown and is described

Ecosystems under ecological restoration should be monitored in order to investigate if the ecosystem is being functionally recovered, especially in highly vulnerable biodiversity hotspots like Andean forests. Here we sampled Hymenoptera families in four Andean forest reserves above 1800 masl from Southern Ecuador, in three conservation levels in each forest: low (degraded), medium (10–15 years of recovery)

The Palaearctic species of the digger wasps genus Hoplisoides Gribodo, 1884 (Hymenoptera: Crabronidae: Bembicinae) are reviewed, and a key to both sexes is given. Two new species are described and illustrated: Hoplisoides flavescens Mokrousov, sp. nov. (Azerbaijan) and H. leleji Mokrousov, sp. nov. (Turkmenistan). New synonymy is proposed for Hoplisoides craverii (A. Costa), 1867 = Gorytes merceti

The wasp genus Psenulus is the most diverse genus of the family Psenidae in the superfamily Apoidea, with its diversity peaking in the Oriental realm. Six species of the genus are here recorded for the first time from the Hong Kong SAR. Three of these, Psenulus ephippiussp. nov., Psenulus gibbussp. nov. and Psenulus pallenssp. nov. are described as new to science. An identification key, figures for

The introduction and establishment of the North American mud-dauber wasp Sceliphron caementarium (Drury, 1773) is reported for the first time from the Maltese Islands. A check-list of the Maltese Sphecidae is provided.

Continuing prior studies on Chinese Sphecodes, we here report further records of twelve rarely collected and little known species from mountainous regions of Southern and South-Western China (Xizang, Sichuan, Yunnan). Forty two species are currently known from China, yet until now only two species were known from Southern and South-Western China. We report six entirely new records for China, including

Low-light adapted bees are substantially understudied components of the bee fauna, particularly in Australia. Whilst several species in Australia are thought to be adapted to low-light conditions, explicit records of these taxa actually foraging at twilight or night are absent from the scientific literature. We present the first observations of Australian bees foraging in low-light conditions as well

The yellow-legged, or Asian hornet, Vespa velutina, has invaded large parts of South-Western Europe and now starts spreading further north. Recently, it has been reported from Hamburg, Northern Germany. Yet, the origin of this new invasion is not clear as the founders may have come either from Southern Europe or from Asia. We here use COI sequences to test these alternatives and find that the specimens

New additions to the knowledge of the subfamily Eumeninae in Russia are provided. Stenodynerus rossicus Fateryga & Kochetkov, sp. nov. is described from Amurskaya Province and Altai Republic. Three species of eumenine wasps are reported from Russia for the first time: Onychopterocheilus kiritshenkoi (Kostylev, 1940), Pterocheilus quaesitus (Morawitz, 1895), and Stenodynerus chitgarensis Giordani Soika

The fossil species of Thaumatodryinus from Dominican amber are studied, and the first revision is presented with a key to the known taxa. We recognize three species, T. miocenicus Olmi, 1995, T. priscus (Olmi, 1998), comb. nov. and T. fuscescenssp. nov. The current classification of the genus and relationships between fossil and living species are discussed. Comments on the host records for Thaumatodryinus

A brief review of the proctotrupoid genus Vanhornia Crawford is given. A new species, Vanhornia yuriisp. nov. from Primorskiy Territory, Russia, is described and illustrated. Photographic illustrations of Vanhornia eucnemidarum Crawford, 1909 (specimens from USA), V. leileri Hedqvist, 1976 (specimens from the Russian Far East) and V. quizhouensis (He & Chu, 1990) (holotype) are given. An identification

Eucharissa (Hymenoptera: Eucharitidae) is an enigmatic genus within Chalcidoidea. Adults have at least 16 antennal segments, which is shared only by the closely related genus, Saccharissa, with some species of Eucharissa having as many as 22 antennal segments. At most, other Chalcidoidea have up to 14 segments. Phylogenetic analyses place Eucharissa within the poneromorph-ant attacking clade, but until

A new fossil species of Eulophidae, Kressleinius celans, gen. et sp. nov., is described from Eocene Baltic amber. It does not place into any extant genera within Eulophidae due to a lack of distinctive synapomorphies. The results of a morphology-based phylogenetic analysis placed K. celans in Tetrastichinae because of features shared with several genera, including having 6 flagellomeres past the anelli

A new species of Microgastrinae (Hymenoptera: Braconidae) parasitoid wasp, Microgaster godzilla Fernandez-Triana & Kamino, is described from Japan. From a biological and morphological perspective this is a very unusual species. It represents only the third known microgastrine to be aquatic, and the first one to be found entering the water. The female wasp searches for its hosts, aquatic larvae of Elophila

In Trinidad, West Indies the social wasps Angiopolybia pallens and Polybia rejecta come to foam nests of the frog Engystomops pustulosus, where they prey on eggs and tadpoles. Frog offspring in early-stage foam nests appear to be almost immune to predation by the wasps, but they become more vulnerable as the nests age and lose definition.

Phoretic copulation, a form of phoresy in which a male physically transports a female by flight and/or foot from their initial site of contact before mating, is newly recorded in the Nearctic velvet ant Sphaeropthalma pensylvanica (Lepeletier, 1845) (Hymenoptera: Mutillidae). Further, this is the first record of the behavior in the species-rich subfamily Sphaeropthalminae. A description of the S. pensylvanica

Exotic ants are a growing component of urban and disturbed habitats worldwide. Sampling in two Iberian Mediterranean localities revealed several exotic species. The tree-nesting, black acrobat ant Crematogaster inermis Mayr, 1862, has been detected nesting outdoors on a Robinia pseudoacacia tree in a public garden in Valencia (Spain) and represents a new addition to the continental European fauna.

Doryctobracon areolatus (Szépligeti), a solitary endoparasitoid native to the Neotropics, attacks eggs and early instar larvae of Anastrepha fruit flies, and can enter diapause under tropical and subtropical conditions. We aimed to test if biological attributes, such as size, flight ability, starvation resistance, longevity and fecundity of diapausing individuals differ from those of non-diapausing

Idiococcobius Hayat, syn. nov., is synonymised with Coccobius Ratzeburg, based on morphological and molecular data from a new species of Coccobius from Malaysian Borneo. The new species is sufficiently similar morphologically to the type species of Idiococcobius to place it unambiguously within that genus, but molecular data from the new species, and a reassessment of the morphology of Idiococcobius

Parasitoid hymenopterans are a highly diverse group of insects; therefore, the choice of an adequate sampling method becomes important to achieve a representative species richness of a site. The aim of this work is to evaluate the size and diversity of parasitoids in relation to the height of the Malaise trap placement above the ground of a low deciduous forest from Yucatan, Mexico. Parasitoids were

We report the presence of two Asian species of larval parasitoids of spotted wing Drosophila, Drosophila suzukii (Matsumura) (Diptera: Drosophilidae), in northwestern North America. Leptopilina japonica Novkovic & Kimura and Ganaspis brasiliensis (Ihering) (Hymenoptera: Figitidae) were found foraging near and emerging from fruits infested by D. suzukii at several locations across coastal British Columbia

Chartocerus azizaesp. nov. is described as the first known fossil from the family Signiphoridae, based on two inclusions in the same piece of Eocene Baltic amber (36.7–48.5 million years ago). Implications of the morphology of C. azizae are discussed, indicating that it should be placed in Chartocerus.

Sampling of crapemyrtle trees (Lagerstroemia L.) in central Texas yielded the discovery of an invasive scale pest, Lopholeucaspis japonica Cockerell, and its parasitoid natural enemy, Marlattiella prima Howard. These discoveries expand the known range of both the scale insect and the parasitoid wasp in the United States. Marlattiella prima was not recovered in the absence of L. japonica. Of the two

A new species of Ctenopelmatinae, Rhinotorus nigrus Sheng, Li & Sun, sp. nov. reared from cocoons of Pristiphora erichsonii (Hartig) in Jilin Province, China, is described and illustrated. A key to Eastern Palaearctic species of Rhinotorus is provided.

Halyomorpha halys is a severe invasive Asian pest worldwide and classical biological control is foreseen as the most promising control method. Egg parasitoids appear to be the most important natural enemies of this pest, especially the Asian hymenopteran Trissolcus japonicus. In the invaded areas, only a few egg parasitoid species have been able to adopt H. halys as a host. Anastatus bifasciatus is

We report the solitary parasitism by Colastomion formosanum (Watanabe) (Hymenoptera, Braconidae, Rogadinae) on the larva of Nevrina procopia (Stoll) (Lepidoptera, Crambidae) feeding on Turpinia ternata Nakai (Staphyleaceae) in Amami Ôshima Is., Japan. This is the first host record for the genus Colastomion Baker outside of Papua New Guinea. We have also inferred the phylogenetic relationships of Colastomion

Here we describe two new Ephedrus species from the Biologiezentrum Linz´s collection: Ephedrus antennalissp. nov., which possesses 12-segmented antennae, a unique character within the genus Ephedrus; and E. carinatussp. nov., which represents an additional member of the root aphid parasitoid group within the genus Ephedrus.

Two new Costa Rican species of the braconid parasitoid wasp subfamily Cardiochilinae, Heteropteron kidonoi Dabek & Whitfield and Heteropteron hasegawai Dabek & Whitfield, are described and illustrated from dry forest in the Area de Conservacion Guanacastae, along with data on rearing from their hosts. Heteropteron kidonoi is a solitary endoparasitoid of Stenoma cathosiota (Lepidoptera: Depressariidae)