%0 Journal Article
%T A Review of the Biology of Eucharitidae (Hymenoptera: Chalcidoidea) from Argentina
%A Javier Torr¨¦ns
%J Psyche
%D 2013
%I Hindawi Publishing Corporation
%R 10.1155/2013/926572
%X All the members of Eucharitidae are parasitoid of ants. Argentina has 14 genera and 41 species, but little is known about their biology. Herein are provided new data for host associations (host ant and/or host plant) of Galearia latreillei, Kapala spp., Latina rugosa, Orasema aenea, and Orasema sp. A revision of the most relevant biological aspects of Dicoelothorax platycerus, Latina rugosa, Neolirata alta, N. daguerrei, Lophyrocera variabilis, Orasema argentina, O. salebrosa, O. simplex, O. susanae, O. worcesteri, and O. xanthopus is included. New records of K. sulcifacies, Lo. plagiata, and Ob. semifumipennis in Argentina are presented. Galearia proseni is synonymized with G. latreillei. 1. Introduction Eucharitidae parasitize the immature stages of Formicidae and are among the most diverse hymenopteran parasitoids of eusocial insects [1¨C8]. Females are oviparous and pro-ovigenic and lay their eggs inside or on plant tissues, either individually or in masses. They oviposit away from the host, with the active first instar larva (planidium) responsible for getting into the ant nest through various associations with foraging adult ants [9]. Once in contact with the larval ant host, the planidium either remains as an external parasite or burrows into the host. Upon pupation of the host, the larva migrates to the ventral region of the thorax, just posterior to the legs of the newly formed pupa, then resumes development through two additional instars [10, 11]. The adults emerge and leave the nest on their own or may be carried by the ants and deposited in the accumulation of colony waste [10, 12, 13]. Eucharitidae are present in all zoogeographic regions but most abundant in the tropics [8]. Fifty-four genera and about 420 species worldwide have been described. In Argentina, 14 genera and 41 species have been reported [8, 14¨C16]. Eucharitidae were well studied in a series of early taxonomic papers by Gemignani [17¨C19]; however, very little information was provided on their biology. This paper reviews our current understanding and contributes new data for some of the Argentinean species. 2. Materials and Methods Females were collected by sweep netting and provided twigs with leaves, fruits, and flowers of different species of plants in 10 ¡Á 3.5£¿cm plastic tubes to monitor oviposition habits. Host plants with eggs extracted from the field or oviposited by the captive females were placed into a cylindrical glass container of 10 ¡Á 10£¿cm with dampened cotton until emergence of the first instar (planidium). Ant nests with adults, brood, and debris were collected
%U http://www.hindawi.com/journals/psyche/2013/926572/