| 1. |
- Ronquist, Fredrik, et al.
(författare)
-
Completing Linnaeus’s inventory of the Swedish insect fauna: only 5,000 species left?
- 2020
-
Ingår i: PLOS ONE. - : Public Library of Science (PLoS). - 1932-6203. ; 15:3
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Despite more than 250 years of taxonomic research, we still have only a vague idea about the true size and composition of the faunas and floras of the planet. Many biodiversity inventories provide limited insight because they focus on a small taxonomic subsample or a tiny geographic area. Here, we report on the size and composition of the Swedish insect fauna, thought to represent roughly half of the diversity of multicellular life in one of the largest European countries. Our results are based on more than a decade of data from the Swedish Taxonomy Initiative and its massive inventory of the country’s insect fauna, the Swedish Malaise Trap Project The fauna is considered one of the best known in the world, but the initiative has nevertheless revealed a surprising amount of hidden diversity: more than 3,000 new species (301 new to science) have been documented so far. Here, we use three independent methods to analyze the true size and composition of the fauna at the family or subfamily level: (1) assessments by experts who have been working on the most poorly known groups in the fauna; (2) estimates based on the proportion of new species discovered in the Malaise trap inventory; and (3) extrapolations based on species abundance and incidence data from the inventory. For the last method, we develop a new estimator, the combined non-parametric estimator, which we show is less sensitive to poor coverage of the species pool than other popular estimators. The three methods converge on similar estimates of the size and composition of the fauna, suggesting that it comprises around 33,000 species. Of those, 8,600 (26%) were unknown at the start of the inventory and 5,000 (15%) still await discovery. We analyze the taxonomic and ecological composition of the estimated fauna, and show that most of the new species belong to Hymenoptera and Diptera groups that are decomposers or parasitoids. Thus, current knowledge of the Swedish insect fauna is strongly biased taxonomically and ecologically, and we show that similar but even stronger biases have distorted our understanding of the fauna in the past. We analyze latitudinal gradients in the size and composition of known European insect faunas and show that several of the patterns contradict the Swedish data, presumably due to similar knowledge biases. Addressing these biases is critical in understanding insect biomes and the ecosystem services they provide. Our results emphasize the need to broaden the taxonomic scope of current insect monitoring efforts, a task that is all the more urgent as recent studies indicate a possible worldwide decline in insect faunas.
|
|
| 2. |
- Karlsson, Dave, et al.
(författare)
-
The Swedish Malaise Trap Project: a 15 year retrospective on a countrywide inventory.
- 2020
-
Ingår i: Biodiversity Data Journal. - 1314-2836 .- 1314-2828. ; 8
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The Swedish Malaise Trap Project (SMTP) is one of the most ambitious insect inventories ever attempted. The project was designed to target poorly known insect groups across a diverse range of habitats in Sweden. The field campaign involved the deployment of 73 Malaise traps at 55 localities across the country for three years (2003-2006). Over the past 15 years, the collected material has been hand sorted by trained technicians into over 300 taxonomic fractions suitable for expert attention. The resulting collection is a tremendous asset for entomologists around the world, especially as we now face a desperate need for baseline data to evaluate phenomena like insect decline and climate change. Here, we describe the history, organisation, methodology and logistics of the SMTP, focusing on the rationale for the decisions taken and the lessons learned along the way. The SMTP represents one of the early instances of community science applied to large-scale inventory work, with a heavy reliance on volunteers in both the field and the laboratory. We give estimates of both staff effort and volunteer effort involved. The project has been funded by the Swedish Taxonomy Initiative; in total, the inventory has cost less than 30 million SEK (approximately 3.1 million USD). Based on a subset of the samples, we characterise the size and taxonomic composition of the SMTP material. Several different extrapolation methods suggest that the material comprises around 20 million specimens in total. The material is dominated by Diptera (75% of the specimens) and Hymenoptera (15% of specimens). Amongst the Diptera, the dominant groups are Chironomidae (37% of specimens), Sciaridae (15%), Phoridae (13%), Cecidomyiidae (9.5%) and Mycetophilidae (9.4%). Within Hymenoptera, the major groups are Ichneumonidae (44% of specimens), Diaprioidea (19%), Braconidae (9.6%), Platygastroidea (8.5%) and Chalcidoidea (7.9%). The taxonomic composition varies with latitude and season. Several Diptera and Hymenoptera groups are more common in non-summer samples (collected from September to April) and in the North, while others show the opposite pattern. About 1% of the total material has been processed and identified by experts so far. This material represents over 4,000 species. One third of these had not been recorded from Sweden before and almost 700 of them are new to science. These results reveal the large amounts of taxonomic work still needed on Palaearctic insect faunas. Based on the SMTP experiences, we discuss aspects of planning and conducting future large-scale insect inventory projects using mainly traditional approaches in relation to more recent approaches that rely on molecular techniques.
|
|
| 3. |
- Forshage, Mattias, et al.
(författare)
-
The identity of figitid parasitoids (Hymenoptera: Cynipoidea: Figitidae) of anthomyiid flies in conifer cones
- 2018
-
Ingår i: European Journal of Entomology. - : Biology Centre, AS CR. - 1210-5759 .- 1802-8829. ; 115, s. 104-111
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Larvae of Strobilomyia flies (Diptera: Anthomyiidae) are serious pests in conifer-seed orchards because they feed on the seed inside the cones. Figitid parasitoids (Hymenoptera: Cynipoidea) of Strobilomyia larvae in conifer cones are commonly reported but under various generic names. It is argued here that, across the entire Holarctic region, these figitids belong to Amphithectus and perhaps also to Sarothrus (Figitinae), but not to Melanips (Aspicerinae), contrary to some reports. We conclude that the identity of the commonly found figitid associated with conifer cones (Larix and Picea) in Europe and Asia is Amphithectus austriacus (Tavares, 1928) comb. n. This is most likely considering the original description and the host association, although the type specimen of Seitneria austriaca Tavares, 1928 is lost. This species name takes priority over the recently described Amphithectus coriaceus Paretas-Martinez & Pujade-Villar, 2013. Seitneria Tavares, 1928 becomes a new junior synonym of Amphithectus Hartig, 1840, and Amphithectus coriaceus Paretas-Martinez & Pujade-Villar, 2013 becomes a new synonym of Amphithectus austriacus (Tavares, 1928) comb. n.
|
|
| 4. |
- Forshage, Mattias, et al.
(författare)
-
World Cynipoidea (Hymenoptera): A Key to Higher- Level Groups
- 2020
-
Ingår i: Insect Systematics & Diversity. - : Oxford University Press (OUP). - 2399-3421. ; 4:4, s. 1-69
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- While much has been learned regarding the phylogeny and evolution of cynipoid wasps, clearly illustrated diagnostic tools and identification keys have remained stagnant. So too, where keys do exist, they are often to genus or species, and there are no user-friendly keys to groups such as tribes, subfamilies, or families. This state of affairs leaves a knowledge gap for non-specialists and slows future research on the group. To address this, we provide a fully illustrated key to the higher-level groups of world Cynipoidea. We also provide sum-maries of all higher-level taxa with updated generic lists, biological data, distribution, and literature resources. The dichotomous key presented here is complimented with a multi-entry matrix-based key, created in Lucid, and served on www.waspweb.org with online versions of the dichotomous keys also available.
|
|
| 5. |
- Jonsell, Mats, et al.
(författare)
-
Structure of insect community in the fungus Inonotus radiatus in riparian boreal forests
- 2016
-
Ingår i: Journal of Natural History. - : Informa UK Limited. - 0022-2933 .- 1464-5262. ; 50, s. 1613-1631
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Basidiomes of polypore fungi host many insects. Yet systematic information about insect assemblages from most fungal species is lacking. We studied the insect community associated with the wood-decaying fungus Inonotus radiatus (Sowerby: Fr.) P. Karst. (Hymenochaetales). More specifically, we studied the effect of successional stage and weight of basidiomes, as well as shore exposition (north or south), on species richness and composition, as well as occurrence and abundance of the most abundant fungivores. Basidiomes were collected from riparian forests at five lakes in Sweden. Insects were reared out from the basidiomes in the laboratory. A total of 5645 adult insect individuals of 117 taxa were obtained. Among these, 2782 specimens of 36 taxa use Inonotus radiatus basidiomes as breeding habitat. Eight species of parasitic wasps were new to Sweden. The most abundant fungi- vore was Ennearthron cornutum (Ciidae), which is a generalist breeding in many polypore species. Based on our material and literature, the melandryid beetles Abdera affinis and A. flexuosa seem to be specialists on the order Hymenochaetales. Other fre- quent fungivores were Dorcatoma dresdensis (Ptinidae), and the lepidopterans Archinemapogon yildizae, Nemapogon cloacellus and N. picarellus (Tineidae). The parasitoid community associated with the tineid moths was similar to the community associated with the other polypore species in the order Polyporales. In contrast, the parasitoids associated with Dorcatoma (and/or Abdera) were dif- ferent from the other Polyporales species, suggesting that the fungal host species is more important for these parasitoid species than the beetle host species itself. The most abundant and fre- quent parasitoids were the braconids Diospilus dispar and Colastes fritzeni, which both parasitise Dorcatoma. Species richness was significantly smaller in fresh than in more decayed basidiomes, but species composition did not differ. There was no difference in species composition or richness between north and south shorelines.
|
|
| 6. |
- Piccini, Irene, et al.
(författare)
-
Dung beetles as drivers of ecosystem multifunctionality: Are response and effect traits interwoven?
- 2017
-
Ingår i: Science of the Total Environment. - : Elsevier BV. - 0048-9697 .- 1879-1026.
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Rapid biodiversity loss has emphasized the need to understand how biodiversity affects the provisioning of ecological functions. Of particular interest are species and communities with versatile impacts on multiple parts of the environment, linking processes in the biosphere, lithosphere, and atmosphere to human interests in the anthroposphere (in this case, cattle farming). In this study, we examine the role of a specific group of insects - beetles feeding on cattle dung - on multiple ecological functions spanning these spheres (dung removal, soil nutrient content and greenhouse gas emissions). We ask whether the same traits which make species prone to extinction (i.e. response traits) may also affect their functional efficiency (as effect traits). To establish the link between response and effect traits, we first evaluated whether two traits (body mass and nesting strategy, the latter categorized as tunnelers or dwellers) affected the probability of a species being threatened. We then tested for a relationship between these traits and ecosystem functioning. Across Scandinavian dung beetle species, 75% of tunnelers and 30% of dwellers are classified as threatened. Hence, nesting strategy significantly affects the probability of a species being threatened, and constitutes a response trait. Effect traits varied with the ecological function investigated: density-specific dung removal was influenced by both nesting strategy and body mass, whereas methane emissions varied with body mass and nutrient recycling with nesting strategy. Our findings suggest that among Scandinavian dung beetles, nesting strategy is both a response and an effect trait, with tunnelers being more efficient in providing several ecological functions and also being more sensitive to extinction. Consequently, functionally important tunneler species have suffered disproportionate declines, and species not threatened today may be at risk of becoming so in the near future. This linkage between effect and response traits aggravates the consequences of ongoing biodiversity loss.
|
|
| 7. |
- Struwe, Ingemar, et al.
(författare)
-
Bird nest boxes infested with Carnus hemapterus (Diptera: Carnidae): A perfect arena for the study of trophic interplays with a special focus on parasitoid Hymenoptera
- 2023
-
Ingår i: European Journal of Entomology. - 1210-5759 .- 1802-8829. ; 120, s. 129-136
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Birds' nests hold rich and diverse communities of invertebrates with complex interspecific interactions whose study could improve our understanding of food webs and resource dynamics. To reach this goal, identification of the participants of such interactions is basic but current knowledge on some key groups such as hymenopteran parasitoids is admittedly poor and unreliable. Here we describe the invertebrate fauna in nests of the Eurasian wryneck Jynx torquilla Linnaeus, 1758 (Piciformes: Picidae) and the relative importance of various trophic guilds. We found a rich community where ectoparasitic Diptera of birds, parasitoid wasps and scavenger Diptera had a prominent representation. We specifically studied the natural enemies of the most abundant bird ectoparasite Carnus hemapterus Nitzsch, 1818 (Diptera: Carnidae), which revealed that Kleidotoma caledonica Cameron, 1888 (Hymenoptera: Figitidae) is a specialized and frequent parasitoid of the ectoparasite. Information on the association between other parasitoid wasps, parasitoid flies and their hosts is also offered. Such associations could result in trophic cascades with remarkable consequences for the avian host.
|
|
| 8. |
- Baiao, Guilherme Costa, et al.
(författare)
-
Revision of the West Palaearctic species of Rhoptromeris Forster, 1869 (Hymenoptera: Figitidae: Eucoilinae)
- 2018
-
Ingår i: Journal of Natural History. - : TAYLOR & FRANCIS LTD. - 0022-2933 .- 1464-5262. ; 52:17-18, s. 1201-1224
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The West Palearctic species of Rhoptromeris are revised. A total of 11 species are recognised as valid in this region, including four newly described species: Rhoptromeris dichromata sp. nov., Rhoptromeris koponeni sp. nov., Rhoptromeris leptocornis sp. nov. and Rhoptromeris macaronesiensis sp. nov. Eucoila luteicornis Ionescu, 1959 is synonymised with Rhoptromeris heptoma (Hartig, 1840) syn. nov. A checklist of the Holarctic Rhoptromeris is presented and an identification key to the West Palearctic species is provided.www.zoobank.org/urn:lsid:zoobank.org:pub:8164332C-93E2-4E3F-A408-F5FF5DFB366E
|
|
| 9. |
- Forshage, Mattias, et al.
(författare)
-
Eucoilinae of North America: a revised catalog of genera and described species
- 2013
-
Ingår i: Proceedings of the Entomological Society of Washington. - : Entomological Society of Washington. - 0013-8797. ; 115:3, s. 225-255
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- We present an updated catalog of North American Eucoilinae, bearing little resemblance to previous regional catalogs, which have been lagging behind in the recent systematic work in the group. The current catalog comprises 34 genera, arranged in six tribes. Of these genera, 9 are represented wholly by unidentified or undescribed species in the region, while the other 25 include 108 species recorded from the region. In comparison with previous catalogs, 24 genera and 41 species are added, and 34 species-level names are recombined, while 7 genera, five subgenera and 11 species are removed from the list of North American taxa. A modern, phylogenetically stable and type-based classification is implemented, as well as a tribal classification. In terms of nomenclatural acts, 25 new combinations are made (one is a reinstatement of an old combination); four new genus-levels synonymies are made (Tetramerocera Ashmead junior synonym of Ganaspis Fo ̈rster, Bewelda Quinlan and Aporeucoela Kieffer junior synonyms of Hexacola Fo ̈rster, Pentaplastidia Weld junior synonym of Trybliographa Fo ̈rster); eight new species-level synonymies are made; two species names are removed from synonymy; one new replacement name given (Hexacola pennsylvanicus for Hexacola subaperta Kieffer 1907 nec (Kieffer 1901a)).
|
|
| 10. |
- Lähteenaro, Meri, et al.
(författare)
-
Phylogenomic species delimitation of the twisted-winged parasite genus Stylops (Strepsiptera)
- 2024
-
Ingår i: Systematic Entomology. - : John Wiley & Sons. - 0307-6970 .- 1365-3113. ; 49:2, s. 294-313
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The twisted-winged parasite genus Stylops has a history of different species concepts with varying host specificity resulting in diverse species diversity estimates in different regions of the Holarctic. The adoption of a supergeneralist species concept in Europe, proposing synonymization of all Western Palaearctic Stylops species, did not facilitate taxonomic clarity and obscured the available life-history data in the region for decades. Lack of molecular data has allowed divergent opinions on species hypotheses and little opportunity for evaluating them in this morphologically challenging genus. To solve these discrepancies and gain novel information about host associations, we applied whole-genome sequencing to 163 specimens, representing a significant portion of putative European species. We evaluate the existing and conflicting species hypotheses with molecular species delimitation using Species bOundry Delimitation using Astral (SODA) and use a maximum likelihood phylogeny to investigate host associations of the species. Furthermore, we evaluate the effect of a number of loci used in SODA for the number of inferred species. We find justification for synonymization of multiple species and indications of undescribed species, as well as new host-parasite relationships. We show that the number of inferred species in SODA is exceedingly and positively correlated with the number of loci used, urging for cautious application. The results of our study bring clarity to the Western Palaearctic species diversity of Stylops. Furthermore, the comprehensive molecular dataset generated in this study will be a valuable resource for future studies on Stylops and the evolution of parasites in general.
|
|
