A new species of Eucharissa Westwood (Eucharitidae) from South Africa, with an evaluation of the importance of pupae for assessing relationships in these ant parasitoids

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Abstract

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 now, the host and immature stages of this genus were unknown. Eucharissa insolita sp. nov. was discovered in two cocoons of Bothroponera granosa (Ponerinae) from South Africa; one a fully developed male and the other a second-instar larva. The larval exuviae present within the cocoons allowed for description of the life stages and comparison with other members of the poneromorph-attacking clade of Eucharitidae. Morphology of the pupa across Eucharitidae is reviewed, and synapomorphies of the immature stages are identified that support monophyly of the poneromorph-attacking clade within the tribe Eucharitini.

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Chemical mimicry in a parasitoid (Hymenoptera: Eucharitidae) of fire ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae).

D P Jouvenaz, R Meer, D Wojcik (1989)

A wasp (Orasema sp.) parasitic on the fire ant,Solenopsis invicta Buren, develops to the adult stage within the ant colony, where wasp larvae are ectoparasitic on ant pupae. This phase of the parasite's life cycle requires a mechanism of integration into the host colony. Gas Chromatographic profiles of hexane soaks of various stages of the parasite and host suggest that during development within the ant colony the parasite acquires the colony odor of the host through a passive mechanism, based on simple contact and other social interactions. No parasite-specific components were observed. After leaving the host nest as adults, the parasite biosynthesizes a parasite-specific cuticular compound, while retaining residual amounts of the host acquired components. This complicated scenario is consistent with current knowledge of nestmate recognition and the preferential treatment of ant workers to their brood.