Inferring life history from ovipositor morphology in parasitoid wasps using phylogenetic regression and discriminant analysis

Recent studies of hymenopteran phylogeny using both comparative morphology and DNA sequence data have greatly enhanced our understanding of the evolution of that order. Resulting phylogenetic hypotheses make possible more rigorous investigations of the evolution of various biological life-styles, among them the parasitoid habit. This paper reviews the current findings from higher-taxon phylogenetic analyses of the order. A "consensus" phylogeny derived from these findings is used to trace the most likely evolutionary pathways leading to the current diversity of parasitoid habits. Taxa and biological phenomena for which our current understanding is fragmentary are highlighted. Based on current evidence, it appears that parasitism arose, from mycophagous ancestors, a single time within the order. Many subsequent elaborations of the parasitic mode of life (e.g. endoparasitism, secondary phytophagy, etc) apparently evolved independently more than once.