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Dong Ren - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.
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Two new rare wasps (Hymenoptera: Apocrita: Panguidae and Burmusculidae) from mid-Cretaceous amber of Northern Myanmar
Cretaceous Research, 2020Co-Authors: Alexandr P. Rasnitsyn, Chungkun Shih, Dong RenAbstract:Abstract A new superfamily Panguoidea superfam. nov. is erected based on one new family, Panguidae fam. nov., with one new genus and species, Pangu yuangu gen. et sp. nov. In addition, one new species, Burmusculus magnus sp. nov. of Burmusculidae, is also described. Both of these two type specimens are from mid-Cretaceous Myanmar (Burmese) amber. A key to species of Burmusculidae is provided. The new family Panguidae displays a contradictory array of features to further supplement the taxonomic and morphological characters of Apocrita. (urn:lsid:zoobank.org:pub:42BB16DA-1F8E-40F1-ADA9-0ECF321B8355)
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Geometric morphometric analysis of Ichneumonidae (Hymenoptera: Apocrita) with two new Mesozoic taxa from Myanmar and China
Journal of Systematic Palaeontology, 2019Co-Authors: Peter J. M. Shih, Dmitry S. Kopylov, Dong RenAbstract:A new genus and species of Labenopimplinae (Ichneumonidae), Heteropimpla megista Li, Shih, Kopylov & Ren gen. et sp. nov., is erected based on a specimen in mid-Cretaceous Myanmar (Burmese) amber. ...
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New fossil species of Ephialtitidae and Baissidae (Hymenoptera, Apocrita) from the mid-Mesozoic of northeastern China
Alcheringa: An Australasian Journal of Palaeontology, 2019Co-Authors: Chungkun Shih, Dong RenAbstract:Li, L., Shih, C.K., Li, D. & Ren, D. 12 June 2019. New fossil species of Ephialtitidae and Baissidae (Hymenoptera, Apocrita) from the mid-Mesozoic of northeastern China. Alcheringa XX, X–X. ISSN 03...
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Phylogeny of Evanioidea (Hymenoptera, Apocrita), with descriptions of new Mesozoic species from China and Myanmar
Systematic Entomology, 2018Co-Authors: Alexandr P. Rasnitsyn, Matthew L. Buffington, Chungkun Shih, Conrad C. Labandeira, Dong RenAbstract:The phylogeny of the superfamily Evanioidea is presented using morphology and DNA sequence data of selected extant and fossil genera by employing two phylogenetic methods, maximum parsimony and Bayesian inference. Based on our new results, the monophyly of Evanioidea is corroborated. Evanioidea, Anomopterellidae, Othniodellithidae, Andreneliidae and Evaniidae are monophyletic families, while Praeaulacidae, Aulacidae, Baissidae and Gasteruptiidae are paraphyletic families. In addition, four new genera (Sinuevania gen.n., Curtevania gen.n., Exilaulacus gen.n., Heterobaissa gen.n.) with five new species (Sinuevania mira sp.n., Curtevania enervia sp.n., Exilaulacus loculatus sp.n., Exilaulacus latus sp.n., Heterobaissa apetiola sp.n.), and five additionally new species (Newjersevania longa sp.n., Newjersevania brevis sp.n., Cretevania tenuis sp.n., Cretevania venae sp.n., Praeaulacus rectus sp.n.) and one new combination [Cretevania mitis (Li, Shih & Ren, 2014a) comb.n.] are described based on well‐preserved fossils from the Middle Jurassic Jiulongshan Formation in Inner Mongolia, China, the Early Cretaceous Yixian Formation in Liaoning, and mid‐Cretaceous amber from Myanmar. This study documents the diversification of one major lineage of the mid‐Mesozoic parasitoid revolution that dramatically changed food‐web relationships in terrestrial ecosystems. This published work has been registered in ZooBank, http://zoobank.org/urn:lsid:zoobank.org:pub:CBC04ADA‐0176‐402D‐9B43‐E1B3CDA080E1.
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Phylogeny of Stephanidae (Hymenoptera: Apocrita) with a new genus from Upper Cretaceous Myanmar amber
Systematic Entomology, 2017Co-Authors: Alexandr P. Rasnitsyn, Chungkun Shih, Conrad C. Labandeira, Dong RenAbstract:A new wasp species, Lagenostephanus lii Li, Rasnitsyn, Shih and Ren gen. et sp.n., is assigned to Stephaninae (Hymenoptera: Stephanidae). The specimen is described from the lowermost Upper Cretaceous Myanmar (Burmese) amber. This is the second stephanid wasp described from Myanmar amber after Kronostephanus zigrasi Engel & Grimaldi, representing the earliest fossil occurrences of Stephanidae. Based on morphological characters of all extant and extinct genera, a phylogenetic analysis of Stephanidae was conducted. The results indicate that Schlettereriinae and Stephaninae are monophyletic, whereas Electrostephanus Brues, as the only genus within Electrostephaninae, belongs to Stephaninae. Therefore, we propose a synonymy of Electrostephaninae with Stephaninae. Based on the fossil evidence, we infer that the family of Stephanidae was significantly diverse in the Late Cretaceous and that they originated during the Early Cretaceous or late Jurassic. A key to genera of Stephanidae is provided. This published work has been registered in ZooBank, http://zoobank.org/urn:lsid:zoobank.org:pub:C082C245-8FD3-42B0-880F-94333286500B.
Michael J Sharkey - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.
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Expressed sequence tags reveal Proctotrupomorpha (minus Chalcidoidea) as sister to Aculeata (Hymenoptera: Insecta)
Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution, 2010Co-Authors: Barbara J Sharanowski, S. Randal Voss, Ryan J. Yoder, John A. Walker, Barbara Robbertse, Michael J SharkeyAbstract:Hymenoptera is one of the most diverse groups of animals on the planet and have vital importance for ecosystem function as pollinators and parasitoids. Higher-level relationships among Hymenoptera have been notoriously difficult to resolve with both morphological and traditional molecular approaches. Here we examined the utility of expressed sequence tags for resolving relationships among hymenopteran superfamilies. Transcripts were assembled for 6 disparate Hymenopteran taxa with additional sequences added from public databases for a final dataset of 24 genes for 16 taxa and over 10 kb of sequence data. The concatenated dataset recovered a robust and well-supported topology demonstrating the monophyly of Holometabola, Hymenoptera, Apocrita, Aculeata, Ichneumonoidea, and a sister relationship between the two most closely related proctotrupomorphs in the dataset (Cynipoidea + Proctotrupoidea). The data strongly supported a sister relationship between Aculeata and Proctotrupomorpha, contrary to previously proposed hypotheses. Additionally there was strong evidence indicating Ichneumonoidea as sister to Aculeata + Proctotrupomorpha. These relationships were robust to missing data, nucleotide composition biases, low taxonomic sampling, and conflicting signal across gene trees. There was also strong evidence indicating that Chalcidoidea is not contained within Proctotrupomorpha.
Chungkun Shih - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.
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Two new rare wasps (Hymenoptera: Apocrita: Panguidae and Burmusculidae) from mid-Cretaceous amber of Northern Myanmar
Cretaceous Research, 2020Co-Authors: Alexandr P. Rasnitsyn, Chungkun Shih, Dong RenAbstract:Abstract A new superfamily Panguoidea superfam. nov. is erected based on one new family, Panguidae fam. nov., with one new genus and species, Pangu yuangu gen. et sp. nov. In addition, one new species, Burmusculus magnus sp. nov. of Burmusculidae, is also described. Both of these two type specimens are from mid-Cretaceous Myanmar (Burmese) amber. A key to species of Burmusculidae is provided. The new family Panguidae displays a contradictory array of features to further supplement the taxonomic and morphological characters of Apocrita. (urn:lsid:zoobank.org:pub:42BB16DA-1F8E-40F1-ADA9-0ECF321B8355)
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New fossil species of Ephialtitidae and Baissidae (Hymenoptera, Apocrita) from the mid-Mesozoic of northeastern China
Alcheringa: An Australasian Journal of Palaeontology, 2019Co-Authors: Chungkun Shih, Dong RenAbstract:Li, L., Shih, C.K., Li, D. & Ren, D. 12 June 2019. New fossil species of Ephialtitidae and Baissidae (Hymenoptera, Apocrita) from the mid-Mesozoic of northeastern China. Alcheringa XX, X–X. ISSN 03...
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Phylogeny of Evanioidea (Hymenoptera, Apocrita), with descriptions of new Mesozoic species from China and Myanmar
Systematic Entomology, 2018Co-Authors: Alexandr P. Rasnitsyn, Matthew L. Buffington, Chungkun Shih, Conrad C. Labandeira, Dong RenAbstract:The phylogeny of the superfamily Evanioidea is presented using morphology and DNA sequence data of selected extant and fossil genera by employing two phylogenetic methods, maximum parsimony and Bayesian inference. Based on our new results, the monophyly of Evanioidea is corroborated. Evanioidea, Anomopterellidae, Othniodellithidae, Andreneliidae and Evaniidae are monophyletic families, while Praeaulacidae, Aulacidae, Baissidae and Gasteruptiidae are paraphyletic families. In addition, four new genera (Sinuevania gen.n., Curtevania gen.n., Exilaulacus gen.n., Heterobaissa gen.n.) with five new species (Sinuevania mira sp.n., Curtevania enervia sp.n., Exilaulacus loculatus sp.n., Exilaulacus latus sp.n., Heterobaissa apetiola sp.n.), and five additionally new species (Newjersevania longa sp.n., Newjersevania brevis sp.n., Cretevania tenuis sp.n., Cretevania venae sp.n., Praeaulacus rectus sp.n.) and one new combination [Cretevania mitis (Li, Shih & Ren, 2014a) comb.n.] are described based on well‐preserved fossils from the Middle Jurassic Jiulongshan Formation in Inner Mongolia, China, the Early Cretaceous Yixian Formation in Liaoning, and mid‐Cretaceous amber from Myanmar. This study documents the diversification of one major lineage of the mid‐Mesozoic parasitoid revolution that dramatically changed food‐web relationships in terrestrial ecosystems. This published work has been registered in ZooBank, http://zoobank.org/urn:lsid:zoobank.org:pub:CBC04ADA‐0176‐402D‐9B43‐E1B3CDA080E1.
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Phylogeny of Stephanidae (Hymenoptera: Apocrita) with a new genus from Upper Cretaceous Myanmar amber
Systematic Entomology, 2017Co-Authors: Alexandr P. Rasnitsyn, Chungkun Shih, Conrad C. Labandeira, Dong RenAbstract:A new wasp species, Lagenostephanus lii Li, Rasnitsyn, Shih and Ren gen. et sp.n., is assigned to Stephaninae (Hymenoptera: Stephanidae). The specimen is described from the lowermost Upper Cretaceous Myanmar (Burmese) amber. This is the second stephanid wasp described from Myanmar amber after Kronostephanus zigrasi Engel & Grimaldi, representing the earliest fossil occurrences of Stephanidae. Based on morphological characters of all extant and extinct genera, a phylogenetic analysis of Stephanidae was conducted. The results indicate that Schlettereriinae and Stephaninae are monophyletic, whereas Electrostephanus Brues, as the only genus within Electrostephaninae, belongs to Stephaninae. Therefore, we propose a synonymy of Electrostephaninae with Stephaninae. Based on the fossil evidence, we infer that the family of Stephanidae was significantly diverse in the Late Cretaceous and that they originated during the Early Cretaceous or late Jurassic. A key to genera of Stephanidae is provided. This published work has been registered in ZooBank, http://zoobank.org/urn:lsid:zoobank.org:pub:C082C245-8FD3-42B0-880F-94333286500B.
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The Mesozoic family Mesoserphidae and its phylogeny (Hymenoptera: Apocrita: Proctotrupoidea)
Journal of Systematic Palaeontology, 2016Co-Authors: Alexandr P. Rasnitsyn, Chungkun Shih, Dong RenAbstract:Eighteen new species within nine genera, six of which are new, of the Mesozoic hymenopteran family Mesoserphidae are described from the Lower Cretaceous Yixian Formation at Huangbanjigou, Liaoning, and from the latest Middle Jurassic Jiulongshan Formation at Daohugou, Inner Mongolia, China: Mesoserphus venustus sp. nov., Sinoserphus grossus sp. nov., S. flexilis sp. nov., S. petilus sp. nov., Novserphus ningchengensis gen. et sp. nov., Apiciserphus augustus gen. et sp. nov., Amboserphus tumidus gen. et sp. nov., A. beipiaoensis sp. nov., A. dimidius sp. nov., Choriserphus bellus gen. et sp. nov., C. gigantus sp. nov., Basiserphus loculatus gen. et sp. nov., B. longus sp. nov., Ozososerphus lepidus gen. et sp. nov., O. ovatus sp. nov., O. cuboidus sp. nov., Karataoserphus adaequatus sp. nov. and K. gracilentus sp. nov. Two taxonomic changes are proposed, Karataoserphus sinicus (Ping) comb. nov. and Beipiaoserphus meridionalis (Rasnitsyn) comb. nov. In addition, Turgoserphus Rasnitsyn, 1990, Otlia J. F. Zha...
Alexandr P. Rasnitsyn - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.
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Two new rare wasps (Hymenoptera: Apocrita: Panguidae and Burmusculidae) from mid-Cretaceous amber of Northern Myanmar
Cretaceous Research, 2020Co-Authors: Alexandr P. Rasnitsyn, Chungkun Shih, Dong RenAbstract:Abstract A new superfamily Panguoidea superfam. nov. is erected based on one new family, Panguidae fam. nov., with one new genus and species, Pangu yuangu gen. et sp. nov. In addition, one new species, Burmusculus magnus sp. nov. of Burmusculidae, is also described. Both of these two type specimens are from mid-Cretaceous Myanmar (Burmese) amber. A key to species of Burmusculidae is provided. The new family Panguidae displays a contradictory array of features to further supplement the taxonomic and morphological characters of Apocrita. (urn:lsid:zoobank.org:pub:42BB16DA-1F8E-40F1-ADA9-0ECF321B8355)
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Phylogeny of Evanioidea (Hymenoptera, Apocrita), with descriptions of new Mesozoic species from China and Myanmar
Systematic Entomology, 2018Co-Authors: Alexandr P. Rasnitsyn, Matthew L. Buffington, Chungkun Shih, Conrad C. Labandeira, Dong RenAbstract:The phylogeny of the superfamily Evanioidea is presented using morphology and DNA sequence data of selected extant and fossil genera by employing two phylogenetic methods, maximum parsimony and Bayesian inference. Based on our new results, the monophyly of Evanioidea is corroborated. Evanioidea, Anomopterellidae, Othniodellithidae, Andreneliidae and Evaniidae are monophyletic families, while Praeaulacidae, Aulacidae, Baissidae and Gasteruptiidae are paraphyletic families. In addition, four new genera (Sinuevania gen.n., Curtevania gen.n., Exilaulacus gen.n., Heterobaissa gen.n.) with five new species (Sinuevania mira sp.n., Curtevania enervia sp.n., Exilaulacus loculatus sp.n., Exilaulacus latus sp.n., Heterobaissa apetiola sp.n.), and five additionally new species (Newjersevania longa sp.n., Newjersevania brevis sp.n., Cretevania tenuis sp.n., Cretevania venae sp.n., Praeaulacus rectus sp.n.) and one new combination [Cretevania mitis (Li, Shih & Ren, 2014a) comb.n.] are described based on well‐preserved fossils from the Middle Jurassic Jiulongshan Formation in Inner Mongolia, China, the Early Cretaceous Yixian Formation in Liaoning, and mid‐Cretaceous amber from Myanmar. This study documents the diversification of one major lineage of the mid‐Mesozoic parasitoid revolution that dramatically changed food‐web relationships in terrestrial ecosystems. This published work has been registered in ZooBank, http://zoobank.org/urn:lsid:zoobank.org:pub:CBC04ADA‐0176‐402D‐9B43‐E1B3CDA080E1.
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Myanmarinidae, a new family of basal Apocrita (Hymenoptera: Stephanoidea) from mid-Cretaceous Burmese amber
Cretaceous Research, 2018Co-Authors: Qi Zhang, Alexandr P. Rasnitsyn, Bo Wang, Haichun ZhangAbstract:Abstract A new family of basal Apocritan wasps is established based on three new species discovered from the mid-Cretaceous Burmese amber and tentatively allied to the superfamily Stephanoidea. The family Myanmarinidae Zhang and Rasnitsyn fam. nov. contains one new genus Myanmarina Zhang and Rasnitsyn gen. nov., including three new species: Myanmarina lisu Zhang and Rasnitsyn sp. nov., Myanmarina kachin Zhang and Rasnitsyn sp. nov. and Myanmarina lahu Zhang and Rasnitsyn sp. nov. Comparisons are made between Myanmarinidae and its similar families. Some general remarks are also made about the new family in taxonomy and biology.
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Phylogeny of Stephanidae (Hymenoptera: Apocrita) with a new genus from Upper Cretaceous Myanmar amber
Systematic Entomology, 2017Co-Authors: Alexandr P. Rasnitsyn, Chungkun Shih, Conrad C. Labandeira, Dong RenAbstract:A new wasp species, Lagenostephanus lii Li, Rasnitsyn, Shih and Ren gen. et sp.n., is assigned to Stephaninae (Hymenoptera: Stephanidae). The specimen is described from the lowermost Upper Cretaceous Myanmar (Burmese) amber. This is the second stephanid wasp described from Myanmar amber after Kronostephanus zigrasi Engel & Grimaldi, representing the earliest fossil occurrences of Stephanidae. Based on morphological characters of all extant and extinct genera, a phylogenetic analysis of Stephanidae was conducted. The results indicate that Schlettereriinae and Stephaninae are monophyletic, whereas Electrostephanus Brues, as the only genus within Electrostephaninae, belongs to Stephaninae. Therefore, we propose a synonymy of Electrostephaninae with Stephaninae. Based on the fossil evidence, we infer that the family of Stephanidae was significantly diverse in the Late Cretaceous and that they originated during the Early Cretaceous or late Jurassic. A key to genera of Stephanidae is provided. This published work has been registered in ZooBank, http://zoobank.org/urn:lsid:zoobank.org:pub:C082C245-8FD3-42B0-880F-94333286500B.
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The Mesozoic family Mesoserphidae and its phylogeny (Hymenoptera: Apocrita: Proctotrupoidea)
Journal of Systematic Palaeontology, 2016Co-Authors: Alexandr P. Rasnitsyn, Chungkun Shih, Dong RenAbstract:Eighteen new species within nine genera, six of which are new, of the Mesozoic hymenopteran family Mesoserphidae are described from the Lower Cretaceous Yixian Formation at Huangbanjigou, Liaoning, and from the latest Middle Jurassic Jiulongshan Formation at Daohugou, Inner Mongolia, China: Mesoserphus venustus sp. nov., Sinoserphus grossus sp. nov., S. flexilis sp. nov., S. petilus sp. nov., Novserphus ningchengensis gen. et sp. nov., Apiciserphus augustus gen. et sp. nov., Amboserphus tumidus gen. et sp. nov., A. beipiaoensis sp. nov., A. dimidius sp. nov., Choriserphus bellus gen. et sp. nov., C. gigantus sp. nov., Basiserphus loculatus gen. et sp. nov., B. longus sp. nov., Ozososerphus lepidus gen. et sp. nov., O. ovatus sp. nov., O. cuboidus sp. nov., Karataoserphus adaequatus sp. nov. and K. gracilentus sp. nov. Two taxonomic changes are proposed, Karataoserphus sinicus (Ping) comb. nov. and Beipiaoserphus meridionalis (Rasnitsyn) comb. nov. In addition, Turgoserphus Rasnitsyn, 1990, Otlia J. F. Zha...
Mark Dowton - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.
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Mitochondrial genomes of Vanhornia eucnemidarum (Apocrita: Vanhorniidae) and Primeuchroeus spp. (Aculeata: Chrysididae): Evidence of rearranged mitochondrial genomes within the Apocrita (Insecta: Hymenoptera).
Genome, 2006Co-Authors: Lyda R. Castro, Kalani Ruberu, Mark DowtonAbstract:We sequenced most of the mitochondrial (mt) genomes of 2 Apocritan taxa: Vanhornia eucnemidarum and Primeuchroeus spp. These mt genomes have similar nucleotide composition and codon usage to those of mt genomes reported for other Hymenoptera, with a total A + T content of 80.1% and 78.2%, respectively. Gene content corresponds to that of other metazoan mt genomes, but gene organization is not conserved. There are a total of 6 tRNA genes rearranged in V. eucnemidarum and 9 in Primeuchroeus spp. Additionally, several noncoding regions were found in the mt genome of V. eucnemidarum, as well as evidence of a sustained gene duplication involving 3 tRNA genes. We also report an inversion of the large and small ribosomal RNA genes in Primeuchroeus spp. mt genome. However, none of the rearrangements reported are phylogenetically informative with respect to the current taxon sample.
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Molecular analyses of the Apocrita (Insecta: Hymenoptera) suggest that the Chalcidoidea are sister to the diaprioid complex
Invertebrate Systematics, 2006Co-Authors: Lyda R. Castro, Mark DowtonAbstract:Despite recent efforts, hypothesised phylogenetic relationships among Apocritan wasps remain unresolved. In this study, molecular analyses were employed to analyse a dataset that included the 16S, the 28S and the COI genes of 87 Apocritan representatives. Partial sequences of the 18S gene were also generated and added to this dataset. The topological effects of outgroup choice, method of phylogenetic analysis, and inclusion of the 18S data were systematically investigated, with particular focus on the relationship of the Chalcidoidea with other members of the Proctotrupomorpha (Platygastroidea, Proctotrupoidea, Cynipoidea). We report that ingroup topology was sensitive to the choice of outgroup, the method of phylogenetic analysis, and inclusion of 18S data. However, the Proctotrupomorpha were always monophyletic, and the Chalcidoidea were recovered, in every analysis except one, as the sister to the diaprioid complex (Diapriidae + Monomachidae + Maamingidae). The single exception, where the Chalcidoidea + Platygastroidea were recovered, utilised a more distant outgroup (Symphyta : Cephidae : Hartigia), maximum parsimony, and excluded the 18S data. Our results suggest the Chalcidoidea + (Diapriidae + Monomachidae + Maamingidae) relationship is more likely.
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Frequent mitochondrial gene rearrangements at the hymenopteran nad3-nad5 junction.
Journal of Molecular Evolution, 2003Co-Authors: Mark Dowton, Lyda R. Castro, Sarah L. Campbell, Sharmilla D. Bargon, Andrew D. AustinAbstract:Abstract We characterized the organization of mitochondrial genes from a diverse range of hymenopterans. Of the 21 taxa characterized, 12 had distinct, derived organizations. Some rearrangements were consistent with the duplication–random loss mechanism, while others were not. Local inversions were relatively common, i.e., rearrangements characterized by the movement of genes from one mitochondrial strand to the other, opposite or close to their ancestral position. This type of rearrangement is inconsistent with the duplication/random loss model of mitochondrial gene rearrangement. Instead, they are best explained by the operation of recombination. Taxa with derived organizations were restricted to a single, monophyletic group of wasps, the Apocrita, which comprise about 90% of all hymenopterans.
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simultaneous analysis of 16s 28s coi and morphology in the hymenoptera Apocrita evolutionary transitions among parasitic wasps
Biological Journal of The Linnean Society, 2001Co-Authors: Mark Dowton, Andrew D. AustinAbstract:Abstract Simultaneous analysis of morphological and molecular characters from the 16S rDNA, 28S rDNA and cytochrome oxidase 1 genes was employed to resolve phylogenetic relationships among the Apocritan (Insecta: Hymenoptera: Apocrita) wasps. Parsimony analyses, employing a broad range of models, consistently recovered the Proctotrupomorpha as a natural group, the Megalyridae and Trigonalidae as sister groups, a clade comprising the Monomachidae, Diapriidae, and Maamingidae, the Vanhorniidae and Proctotrupidae as sister groups, the Proctotrupoidea as polyphyletic, and the Evaniomorpha as a grade (but including the Ichneumonoidea, Aculeata, and Stephanidae). The Proctotrupomorpha, containing virtually all of the wholly endoparasitic lineages, was consistently recovered as an apical clade, with the remaining groups forming a paraphyletic grade below them. Although the relative placement of the groups forming this basal grade varied among analyses, the most commonly recovered arrangement is consistent with the ancestral biology being ectoparasitism of coleopteran, wood-boring larvae. Furthermore, the recovery of the ectoparasitic-containing proctotrupomorphs (Chalcidoidea and, in some analyses, Ceraphronoidea) as apical lineages argues that these biologies are reversals.
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Evidence for AT-transversion bias in wasp (Hymenoptera: Symphyta) mitochondrial genes and its implications for the origin of parasitism.
Journal of Molecular Evolution, 1997Co-Authors: Mark Dowton, Andrew D. AustinAbstract:We inferred the incidence of nucleotide conversions in the COI and 16S rRNA mitochondrial genes of members of the Symphyta and basal Apocrita (Hymenoptera). Character-state reconstructions in both genes suggested that conversions between A and T (AT transversions) occurred much more frequently than any other type of change, although we cannot wholly discount an underlying transition bias. Parsimony analysis of COI nucleotide characters did not recover phylogeny; e.g., neither the Tenthredinoidea nor Apocrita were recovered as monophyletic. However, analysis of COI amino acid characters did recover these relationships, as well as others based on fossil and morphological evidence. Analysis of 16S rRNA characters also recovered these relationships providing conversions between A and T were down-weighted. Analysis of the combined data sets gave relatively strong support for various relationships, suggesting that both data sets supported similar topographies. These data sets, both separately and combined, suggested that the phytophagous Siricidae were more closely related to the predominantly parasitic Apocrita than were the ectoparasitic Orussoidea. This suggests that the wasp parasitic lifestyle did not have a single origin, unless the Siricidae have more recently reverted to phytophagy. Alternatively, parasitism evolved twice independently, once in the Orussoidea and again in the Apocrita. The latter scenario is supported by the observation that the evolution of parasitism was accompanied by a tendency for the larvae to develop inside plant tissues. Adaptations that accompanied the movement of wasps into a confined, wood-boring habitat may have preadapted them to becoming ectoparasitic.