Latest Articles from Biodiversity Data Journal Latest 16 Articles from Biodiversity Data Journal https://bdj.pensoft.net/ Thu, 28 Mar 2024 10:48:22 +0200 Pensoft FeedCreator https://bdj.pensoft.net/i/logo.jpg Latest Articles from Biodiversity Data Journal https://bdj.pensoft.net/ Helminths found in common species of the herpetofauna in Ukraine https://bdj.pensoft.net/article/113770/ Biodiversity Data Journal 12: e113770

DOI: 10.3897/BDJ.12.e113770

Authors: Oleksii Marushchak, Yaroslav Syrota, Ivanna Dmytrieva, Yuri Kuzmin, Andrii Nechai, Olga Lisitsyna, Roman Svitin

Abstract: Only a few comprehensive studies have been carried out on parasites in amphibians and reptiles in Ukraine. This has resulted in identifying over 100 helminth species across these vertebrate groups. However, most of the studies were performed in the 20th century and the taxonomy of many parasites and their hosts has changed ever since, in addition to the discovery of new species and registrations of species that had not been previously known for Ukraine. In recent decades, there have been very few publications on helminths from amphibian or reptile hosts in this region. Notably, just one of these recent studies is a faunistic study, providing a list of helminths found in two species of green frogs – Pelophylax ridibundus (Pallas, 1771) and Pelophylax esculentus (Linnaeus, 1758). Therefore, it is clear that publishing datasets of modern records of helminths in these vertebrate groups, based on modern taxonomy, is an essential step in further studies of their parasitic diversity. Additionally, such study is important in terms of global climate change, the growing number of possibilities of invasion of alien species (both hosts and parasites) that might potentially become a threat to native biota and growing anthropogenic pressure on local populations of hosts that affect the parasites as well. In future, this study is planned to be used for the creation of a checklist of helminths of the herpetofauna of Ukraine. The present dataset is an inventory of various species of helminths parasitising common species of the herpetofauna in central, northern, western and southern Ukraine recorded during field studies in the 2021-2023 period.The dataset is the first one to represent the up-to-date and unified data on helminths of reptiles and amphibians of Ukraine. Previously, records of this group of organisms with reference to their hosts were presented as several separate records within the country. Currently, this is the largest dataset presenting geocoded records of non-human-related helminths in the fauna of Ukraine. It reports helminth species from 15 hosts (205 individuals), including eight amphibians and seven reptilian species found in various Ukrainian regions. A total of 47 helminth species have been documented in the research and during 2021-2023 period on the territory of northern (Kyiv and Zhytomyr), western (Lviv, Zakarpattia Ivano-Frankivsk), central (Vinnytsia, Dnipropetrovsk, Cherkasy, Zaporizhzhia and Poltava) and southern (Odesa) regions of Ukraine. The identified helminth species belong to the following phyla: Acanthocephala (Centrorhynchidae (2), Echinorhynchidae (2)); Nematoda (Acuariidae, Anisakidae, Cosmocercidae (3), Dioctophymatidae, Gnathostomatidae (1), Kathlanidae (1), Molineidae (7), Onchocercidae (1), Pharyngodonidae (1), Rhabdiasidae (6), Strongyloididae); Platyhelminthes (Diplodiscidae (1), Diplostomidae (2), Encyclometridae (1), Haematoloechidae (1), Leptophallidae (2), Macroderidae (1), Mesocestoididae, Opisthorchiidae (2), Plagiorchiidae (3), Pleurogenidae (2), Polystomatidae (3), Proteocephalidae (1), Strigeidae (1) and Telorchiidae (3)). Only some helminths in the dataset were not identified to species level. Material is stored in the collection of the department of Parasitology of the I. I. Schmalhausen Institute of Zoology NAS of Ukraine.

HTML

XML

PDF

]]>
Data Paper Tue, 16 Jan 2024 13:10:03 +0200
Checklist of digeneans (Platyhelminthes, Trematoda, Digenea) of Georgia https://bdj.pensoft.net/article/110201/ Biodiversity Data Journal 12: e110201

DOI: 10.3897/BDJ.12.e110201

Authors: Lela Arabuli, Lali Murvanidze, Anna Faltynkova, Levan Mumladze

Abstract: In the present study, we aim to provide an inventory of digenetic trematodes (Platyhelminthes, Trematoda, Digenea) from Georgia including records from the freshwater, marine and terrestrial realms. The checklist is based on a critical review of data from 109 papers, 11 monographs and four Ph.D. theses published between 1935 and 2019 and our new records. The checklist includes information on synonymy, the host species, site of infection, geographical distribution and bibliographical references. The present data will serve as a baseline for further studies on trematodes from Georgia focused on integrative taxonomy, life-cycle elucidation, parasite ecology and epidemiology.We compiled data on the digenean trematode fauna of Georgia, which is represented by 186 species (of these 173 identified to species level) belonging to 108 genera, 47 families and 17 superfamilies. This is the first checklist of the digeneans of Georgia. The majority of digenean species were recorded as adults (160 species), only a small fraction being found as cercariae (33 species) or metacercariae (24 species), in their first or second intermediate hosts, respectively. Predominantly, records of trematodes (62 species) from birds were found, followed by those parasitising fish (50 species, i.e. 32 species as adults and 18 as metacercariae), mammals (33 species) and amphibians (25 species, i.e. 23 species as adults and 2 as metacercariae), with the least number of species reported from reptiles (12 species, i.e. 9 species as adults and 3 as metacercariae). Adult digeneans recorded together with another life-cycle stage (metacercariae and/or cercariae) comprised 28 species, i.e. for 15% of the total trematode species number, a part of their life-cycle is known.

HTML

XML

PDF

]]>
Taxonomy & Inventories Mon, 8 Jan 2024 15:35:17 +0200
Online citizen sciences reveal natural enemies and new occurrence data of Meteorus stellatus Fujie, Shimizu & Maeto, 2021 (Hymenoptera, Braconidae, Euphorinae) https://bdj.pensoft.net/article/103436/ Biodiversity Data Journal 11: e103436

DOI: 10.3897/BDJ.11.e103436

Authors: So Shimizu, Hsuan-Pu Chen, Kai-Ti Lin, Ren-Jye Chen, Shunpei Fujie, Su-Chuan Hung, Mei-Ling Lo, Ke-Hsiung Tsai, Kaoru Maeto

Abstract: Citizen science is a research approach that involves collaboration between professional scientists and non-professional volunteers. The utilisation of recent online citizen-science platforms (e.g. social networking services) has greatly revolutionised the accessibility of biodiversity data by providing opportunities for connecting professional and citizen scientists worldwide. Meteorus stellatus Fujie, Shimizu & Maeto, 2021 (Hymenoptera, Braconidae, Euphorinae) has been recorded from the Oriental Islands of Japan and known to be a gregarious endoparasitoid of two macro-sized sphingid moths of Macroglossum, Ma. passalus (Drury) and Ma. pyrrhosticta Butler. It constructs characteristic star-shaped communal cocoons, suspended by a long cable. Although M. stellatus has been reported only from the Oriental Islands of Japan, the authors recognise its occurrence and ecological data from Taiwan and the Palaearctic Island of Japan through posts on online citizen-science groups about Taiwanese Insects on Facebook and an article on a Japanese citizen-scientist's website.Through collaboration between professional and citizen scientists via social media (Facebook groups) and websites, the following new biodiversity and ecological data associated with M. stellatus are provided:Meteorus stellatus is recorded for the first time from Taiwan and the Palaearctic Region (Yakushima Is., Japan).Cechetra minor (Butler, 1875), Hippotion celerio (Linnaeus, 1758) and Macroglossum sitiene (Walker, 1856) (Lepidoptera, Sphingidae) are recorded for the first time as hosts of M. stellatus and two of which (C. minor and H. celerio) represent the first genus-level host records for M. stellatus.Mesochorus sp. (Hymenoptera, Ichneumonidae), indeterminate species of Pteromalidae and Trichogrammatidae (Hymenoptera), are recognised as hyperparasitoid wasps of M. stellatus.Parapolybia varia (Fabricius, 1787) (Hymenoptera, Vespidae) is reported as a predator of pendulous communal cocoons of M. stellatus.The nature of suspended large-sized communal cocoons of M. stellatus and the importance and limitations of digital occurrence data and online citizen science are briefly discussed.

HTML

XML

PDF

]]>
Taxonomy & Inventories Wed, 19 Apr 2023 11:03:19 +0300
A new species of Megastigmus (Hymenoptera, Megastigmidae) from China https://bdj.pensoft.net/article/102828/ Biodiversity Data Journal 11: e102828

DOI: 10.3897/BDJ.11.e102828

Authors: Xiaoxiao Chen, Jingge Kuang, Wenjing Tao, Zhongping Xiong, Kangshan Mao

Abstract: Most species of Megastigmus are considered important economic pests that grow in seeds, especially of conifers. Accurate identification of species is a crucial step for the biological research of parasitic pests and the further application of biological control. However, their large variety, small size, similar morphology and different growth and development stages have brought great challenges to taxonomic research. Traditional morphological identification often takes a long time and this requires us to seek a new method for rapid and accurate identification. Therefore, the better identification of Megastigmus urgently needs to be combined with molecular methods to help taxonomic development.Here, Megastigmus daduheensis sp. n. (Chalcidoidea: Megastigmidae) was identified, based on morphology and molecular markers, such as COI and Cytb. M. daduheensis sp. n. is distinct from other known species of the same genus in the morphology. The results of the molecular phylogenetic tree, similarity alignment and genetic distance indicate that the COI and Cytb sequences of M. daduheensis sp. n. are highly similar to M. sobinae and M. duclouxiana, but there are some genetic differences. The genetic distances of M. daduheensis sp. nov. with M. duclouxiana and M. sabinae were 0.34 and 0.33 and the percentages of shared base pairs were 76.3% and 76.8%, respectively. Both morphological and molecular data classified M. daduheensis sp. n. as a new species. The obtained COI and Cytb sequences of M. daduheensis sp. n. can be used as DNA barcodes, providing molecular data for rapid and accurate identification of this species in the future.

HTML

XML

PDF

]]>
Taxonomy & Inventories Tue, 11 Apr 2023 13:38:51 +0300
Small terrestrial mammals (Rodentia and Soricomorpha) along a gradient of forest anthropisation (reserves, managed forests, urban parks) in France https://bdj.pensoft.net/article/95214/ Biodiversity Data Journal 10: e95214

DOI: 10.3897/BDJ.10.e95214

Authors: Julien Pradel, Marie Bouilloud, Anne Loiseau, Sylvain Piry, Maxime Galan, Emmanuelle Artige, Guillaume Castel, Julien Ferrero, Romain Gallet, Geoffrey Thuel, Nathalie Vieira, Nathalie Charbonnel

Abstract: Understanding the relationships between wildlife biodiversity and zoonotic infectious diseases in a changing climate is a challenging issue that scientists must address to support further policy actions. We aim at tackling this challenge by focusing on small mammal-borne diseases in temperate forests and large urban green spaces. Small mammals are important reservoirs of zoonotic agents, with a high transmission potential for humans and domestic animals. Forests and large urban green spaces are ecosystems where efforts are undertaken to preserve biodiversity. They are put forward for their contribution to human well-being in addition to other ecosystem services (e.g. provisioning and regulating services). Moreover, forests and large urban green spaces are environments where small mammals are abundant and human/domestic-wildlife interactions are plausible to occur. These environments are, therefore, focal points for conservation management and public health issues.The European Biodiversa BioRodDis project (https://www6.inrae.fr/biodiversa-bioroddis) aims at better understanding the relationships between small terrestrial mammal biodiversity and health in the context of global change and, in particular, of forest anthropisation and urbanisation. Here, we present the data gathered in France. The dataset will enable us to describe the diversity of small terrestrial mammal communities in forested areas corresponding to different levels of anthropisation and to evaluate the variability of this diversity over time, between seasons and years.The dataset contains occurrences of small terrestrial mammals (Rodentia and Soricomorpha) trapped in forested areas in eastern France (administrative Departments: Rhône, Ain, Jura). The sampling sites correspond to different degrees of anthropisation. Forests included in biological reserves are the least anthropised sites. Then, public forests and urban parks experience increasing levels of anthropisation. Data were collected during spring and autumn 2020 (three to four sampling sites), 2021 (six sampling sites) and 2022 (four sampling sites). These variations in the number of sites between years were due to lockdown restrictions in 2020 or to the legal authorisation to trap around biological reserves granted in 2021 only. The capture of animals was carried out in various types of forests (pine, deciduous, mixed) and in different habitats within urban parks (wooded areas, buildings, hay storage yards, riverside vegetation, restaurants, playground for kids, botanical garden, landfills). Animals were captured using live traps that were set on the ground for one to 11 nights. During this study period, 1593 small mammals were trapped and identified. They belong to 15 species, amongst which were nine species of rodents (Muridae, Cricetidae, Gliridae) and six species of shrews (Soricidae). They were weighted (gram) and measured (cm): head-body length, tail length and hind-foot length. Sexual characteristics were also recorded.

HTML

XML

PDF

]]>
Data Paper Fri, 30 Dec 2022 14:17:01 +0200
New records for chewing lice of the genus Dennyus Neumann, 1906 (Phthiraptera: Amblycera) on two swifts from Saudi Arabia https://bdj.pensoft.net/article/67927/ Biodiversity Data Journal 9: e67927

DOI: 10.3897/BDJ.9.e67927

Authors: Kholoud Al-Shammery

Abstract: Very little information was known for the chewing lice fauna of Saudi Arabia especially from hosts of Apodiformes. Swifts (Apodiformes) are common resident and migratory passerine birds through Saudi Arabia. Through the world there are two chewing lice genera that are known to infest swifts: Dennyus Neumann, 1906 and Eureum Nitzsch, 1818. None of them were recorded from the kingdom before.Two species of resident wild swifts were examined for chewing lice for the first time in Saudi Arabia. Two rare lice species were identified: Dennyus (Dennyus) cypsiurus Thompson, 1948 and D. (Dennyus) hirundinis (Linnaeus, 1761) (Phthiraptera: Amblycera: Menoponidae) infesting African palm swift Cypsiurus parvus (Lichtenstein, 1823) and common swift Apus apus (Linnaeus, 1758), respectively. The described species are considered as new country records. They will be added to the Saudi Arabia parasitic fauna. Taxonomical and ecological remarks were provided for the identified chewing lice through this work, along with notes on swift/chewing lice interaction.

HTML

XML

PDF

]]>
Taxonomy & Inventories Thu, 5 Aug 2021 16:00:00 +0300
Ascodipteron sanmingensis sp. nov., a new bat fly (Hippoboscidae: streblid grade) from Fujian, China https://bdj.pensoft.net/article/64558/ Biodiversity Data Journal 9: e64558

DOI: 10.3897/BDJ.9.e64558

Authors: Haoran Sun, Liang Ding, Liping Yan, Thomas Pape, Dong Zhang

Abstract: The bat fly genus Ascodipteron Adensamer, 1896 currently contains 15 species, all of which occur in tropical and subtropical areas of the Eastern Hemisphere. A new species of endoparasitic bat fly, Ascodipteron sanmingensis sp. nov., was collected from the Great Himalayan Leaf-nosed Bat, Hipposideros armiger (Hodgson, 1853), during ecological studies on bats in Fujian, China.A new species, Ascodipteron sanmingensis sp. nov., is described based on dealate neosomic females and is supported by molecular data from a 368 bp fragment of the cytochrome B (Cytb) gene. Habitus and diagnostic details as well as the attachment sites on the host are documented with photographs. A detailed comparison of the new species with related species is provided and the new species is accommodated in the most recent key to the world species of Ascodipteron.

HTML

XML

PDF

]]>
Taxonomy & Inventories Fri, 23 Apr 2021 10:00:00 +0300
The first description of the nymphal stages of Hoplopleura longula (Psocodea: Anoplura: Hoplopleuridae) from the harvest mouse Micromys minutus (Rodentia: Muridae) https://bdj.pensoft.net/article/63747/ Biodiversity Data Journal 9: e63747

DOI: 10.3897/BDJ.9.e63747

Authors: Paulina Kozina, Joanna N. Izdebska, Rafał Kowalczyk

Abstract: Despite the widespread belief that an extensive body of knowledge exists for the sucking lice Anoplura, some of their common, Eurasian or even cosmopolitan species still lack ordered taxonomic descriptions, especially those of their nymphal stages. This applies especially to the most common rodent parasites: the lice of the genus Hoplopleura. In Europe, only two of the five most common species have full taxonomic characteristics with a description of the immature stages. This study enriches the current state of knowledge for another species, Hoplopleura longula, and presents the first description of its nymphs.The study includes five rare lice specimens (two nymphs I, one nymph II, two nymphs III) of H. longula collected from 63 Eurasian harvest mice Micromys minutus. The collected lice were fixed and preserved in 70% ethyl alcohol solution, and then dumped in polyvinyl-lactophenol to form total preparations.Only two from five species found in Eurasia (H. acanthopus, H. affinis, H. captiosa, H. edentula, H. longula) have been given full taxonomic descriptions including juvenile stages. This paper presents a description of nymphs H. longula (described for the first time).

HTML

XML

PDF

]]>
Single Taxon Treatment Mon, 19 Apr 2021 11:00:00 +0300
Analysis of Chagas disease vectors occurrence data: the Argentinean triatomine species database https://bdj.pensoft.net/article/58076/ Biodiversity Data Journal 8: e58076

DOI: 10.3897/BDJ.8.e58076

Authors: Soledad Ceccarelli, Agustín Balsalobre, Maria Cano, Delmi Canale, Patricia Lobbia, Raúl Stariolo, Jorge Rabinovich, Gerardo Marti

Abstract: Chagas disease is a neglected tropical disease and Trypanosoma cruzi (its etiological agent) is mainly transmitted by triatomines (Hemiptera: Reduviidae). All triatomine species are considered as potential vectors; thus, their geographic distribution and habitat information should be a fundamental guide for the surveillance and control of Chagas disease. Currently, of the 137 species distributed in the Americas (Justi and Galvão 2017), 17 species are cited for Argentina: Panstrongylus geniculatus, P. guentheri, P. megistus, P. rufotuberculatus, Psammolestes coreodes, Triatoma breyeri, T. delpontei, T. eratyrusiformis, T. garciabesi, T. guasayana, T. infestans, T. limai, T. patagonica, T. platensis, T. rubrofasciata, T. rubrovaria and T. sordida. Almost 20 years have passed since the publication of the “Atlas of the Triatominae” by Carcavallo et al. (1998), and no work has been done to provide an updated complete integration and analysis of the existing information for Argentinean triatomine species. Here we provided a detailed temporal, spatial and ecological analysis of updated occurrence data for triatomines present in Argentina.This is the first database of the 17 triatomine species present in Argentina (15917 records), with a critical analysis of the temporal, spatial and ecological characteristics of 9788 records. The information spans for the last 100 years (1918–2019) and it was mostly obtained from the DataTri database and from the Argentinean Vector Reference Center. As 70% of the occurrences corresponded to the last 20 years, the information was split into two broad periods (pre-2000 and post-2000). Occurrence data for most species show distribution ranges contractions, which from the pre-2000 to post-2000 period became restricted mainly to the dry and humid Chaco ecoregions. Concurrently, the highest species richness foci occurred within those ecoregions. The species T. infestans, T. sordida, T. garciabesi and T. guasayana mostly colonize human dwelling habitats. This study provides the most comprehensive picture available for Argentinean triatomine species, and we hope that any knowledge gaps will encourage others to keep this information updated to assist health policy makers to make decisions based on the best evidence.

HTML

XML

PDF

]]>
Data Paper Thu, 12 Nov 2020 15:15:00 +0200
A comprehensive survey of Rhinonyssid mites (Mesostigmata: Rhinonyssidae) in Northwest Russia: New mite-host associations and prevalence data https://bdj.pensoft.net/article/49535/ Biodiversity Data Journal 8: e49535

DOI: 10.3897/BDJ.8.e49535

Authors: Manuel De Rojas, Jorge Doña, Ivan Dimov

Abstract:

HTML

XML

PDF

]]>
Data Paper Fri, 28 Feb 2020 17:00:00 +0200
New species records of Culicoides biting midges (Diptera: Ceratopogonidae) for the state of Rondônia in Brazilian Amazon https://bdj.pensoft.net/article/13075/ Biodiversity Data Journal 5: e13075

DOI: 10.3897/BDJ.5.e13075

Authors: Luis Paulo Carvalho, Emanuelle Farias, Luiz Herman Gil, Felipe Pessoa, Jansen Medeiros

Abstract:

HTML

XML

PDF

]]>
Taxonomy & Inventories Tue, 9 May 2017 11:12:18 +0300
The Meristogram: a neglected tool for acanthocephalan systematics https://bdj.pensoft.net/article/7606/ Biodiversity Data Journal 4: e7606

DOI: 10.3897/BDJ.4.e7606

Authors: Matthew Wayland

Abstract:

HTML

XML

PDF

]]>
Research Article Thu, 4 Feb 2016 09:41:35 +0200
Bumble Bees (Hymenoptera: Apidae: Bombus spp.) of Interior Alaska: Species Composition, Distribution, Seasonal Biology, and Parasites https://bdj.pensoft.net/article/5085/ Biodiversity Data Journal 3: e5085

DOI: 10.3897/BDJ.3.e5085

Authors: Rehanon Pampell, Derek Sikes, Alberto Pantoja, Patricia Holloway, Charles Knight, Richard Ranft

Abstract:

HTML

XML

PDF

]]>
Research Article Fri, 8 May 2015 09:11:09 +0300
Fauna Europaea: Helminths (Animal Parasitic) https://bdj.pensoft.net/article/1060/ Biodiversity Data Journal 2: e1060

DOI: 10.3897/BDJ.2.e1060

Authors: David Gibson, Rodney Bray, David Hunt, Boyko Georgiev, Tomaš Scholz, Philip Harris, Tor Bakke, Teresa Pojmanska, Katarzyna Niewiadomska, Aneta Kostadinova, Vasyl Tkach, Odile Bain, Marie-Claude Durette-Desset, Lynda Gibbons, František Moravec, Annie Petter, Zlatka Dimitrova, Kurt Buchmann, E. Valtonen, Yde de Jong

Abstract: Fauna Europaea provides a public web-service with an index of scientific names (including important synonyms) of all living European land and freshwater animals, their geographical distribution at country level (up to the Urals, excluding the Caucasus region), and some additional information. The Fauna Europaea project covers about 230,000 taxonomic names, including 130,000 accepted species and 14,000 accepted subspecies, which is much more than the originally projected number of 100,000 species. This represents a huge effort by more than 400 contributing specialists throughout Europe and is a unique (standard) reference suitable for many users in science, government, industry, nature conservation and education. Helminths parasitic in animals represent a large assemblage of worms, representing three phyla, with more than 200 families and almost 4,000 species of parasites from all major vertebrate and many invertebrate groups. A general introduction is given for each of the major groups of parasitic worms, i.e. the Acanthocephala, Monogenea, Trematoda (Aspidogastrea and Digenea), Cestoda and Nematoda. Basic information for each group includes its size, host-range, distribution, morphological features, life-cycle, classification, identification and recent key-works. Tabulations include a complete list of families dealt with, the number of species in each and the name of the specialist responsible for data acquisition, a list of additional specialists who helped with particular groups, and a list of higher taxa dealt with down to the family level. A compilation of useful references is appended.

HTML

XML

PDF

]]>
Data Paper Wed, 17 Sep 2014 17:25:10 +0300
Morphological variation in Echinorhynchus truttae Schrank, 1788 and the E. bothniensis Zdzitowiecki & Valtonen, 1987 species complex from freshwater fishes of northern Europe https://bdj.pensoft.net/article/975/ Biodiversity Data Journal 1: e975

DOI: 10.3897/BDJ.1.e975

Authors: Matthew Wayland

Abstract: Echinorhynchus truttae and the E. bothniensis species complex are common parasites of salmoniform and other fishes in northern Europe. E. bothniensis and its sibling species E. 'bothniensis' are thought to be closely related to the Nearctic E. leidyi Van Cleave, 1924 based on morphological similarity and common usage of a mysid intermediate host. This study provides the first analysis of morphological and meristic variation in E. truttae and expands our knowledge of anatomical variability in the E. bothniensis group. Morphological variability in E. truttae was found to be far greater than previously reported, with part of the variance attributable to sexual dimorphism. E. truttae, the two species of the E. bothniensis group and E. leidyi displayed considerable interspecific overlap in the ranges of all conventional morphological characters. However, Proboscis profiler, a tool for detecting acanthocephalan morphotypes using multivariate analysis of hook morphometrics, successfully separated E. truttae from the other taxa. The E. bothniensis species group could not be reliably distinguished from E. leidyi (or each other), providing further evidence of the affinity of these taxa. Observations on the distribution of E. truttae in its definitive host population are also reported.

HTML

XML

PDF

]]>
Research Article Mon, 16 Sep 2013 06:00:00 +0300
Spider hosts (Arachnida, Araneae) and wasp parasitoids (Insecta, Hymenoptera, Ichneumonidae, Ephialtini) matched using DNA barcodes https://bdj.pensoft.net/article/992/ Biodiversity Data Journal 1: e992

DOI: 10.3897/BDJ.1.e992

Authors: Jeremy Miller, J. Dick Belgers, Kevin Beentjes, Kees Zwakhals, Peter van Helsdingen

Abstract: The study of parasitoids and their hosts suffers from a lack of reliable taxonomic data. We use a combination of morphological characters and DNA sequences to produce taxonomic determinations that can be verified with reference to specimens in an accessible collection and DNA barcode sequences posted to the Barcode of Life database (BOLD). We demonstrate that DNA can be successfully extracted from consumed host spiders and the shed pupal case of a wasp using non-destructive methods. We found Acrodactyla quadrisculpta to be a parasitoid of Tetragnatha montana; Zatypota percontatoria and Z. bohemani both are parasitoids of Neottiura bimaculata. Zatypota anomala is a parasitoid of an as yet unidentified host in the family Dictynidae, but the host species may be possible to identify in the future as the library of reference sequences on BOLD continues to grow. The study of parasitoids and their hosts traditionally requires specialized knowledge and techniques, and accumulating data is a slow process. DNA barcoding could allow more professional and amateur naturalists to contribute data to this field of study. A publication venue dedicated to aggregating datasets of all sizes online is well suited to this model of distributed science.

HTML

XML

PDF

]]>
Taxonomy & Inventories Mon, 16 Sep 2013 05:00:00 +0300