Molecular Placement of an Outbreak-Causing Gall Wasp, Zapatella davisae (Hymenoptera: Cynipidae), with Comments on Phylogenetic Arrangements in the Tribe Cynipini

2021 ◽  
Vol 56 (1) ◽  
pp. 84-95
Author(s):  
Jeremy C. Andersen ◽  
Monica J. Davis ◽  
Katherine N. Schick ◽  
Joseph S. Elkinton
Keyword(s):  
Ribosomal Gene ◽  
Cape Cod ◽  
Pest Species ◽  
Gall Wasp ◽  
Protein Coding ◽  
Quercus Velutina ◽  
Long Wavelength ◽  
Gall Wasps ◽  
Mitochondrial Locus ◽  
Black Oak

Abstract Gall wasps (Hymenoptera: Cynipidae) have fascinated researchers for centuries due to the elaborate diversity of charismatic galls they produce, the presence of unique reproductive systems (e.g., a form of cyclical parthenogenesis), the possible convergent evolution of semiparasitic gall wasp forms (i.e., “inquilines”), and their multitrophic interactions. While many classifications for gall wasps have been proposed, recent DNA sequence efforts combined with taxonomic revisions are beginning to clarify the evolutionary relationships of this group. To date, however, a well resolved phylogeny is lacking, complicating the study of outbreak-causing pest species. Outbreaks by one such species, the black oak gall wasp, Zapatella davisae Buffington & Melika (Hymenoptera: Cynipidae: Cynipini), have led to extensive damage and mortality of black oaks, Quercus velutina L. (Fagales: Fagaceae), in the northeastern United States. Here we sequenced fragments of the nuclear ribosomal gene 28S, and the nuclear protein coding gene long-wavelength opsin from samples of Z. davisae collected on Cape Cod, MA, and Long Island, NY. Using these sequences and sequences previously published from the mitochondrial locus cytochrome b, we performed Bayesian and maximum likelihood multilocus phylogenetic reconstructions based on a concatenated alignment including species of gall wasps in the tribe Cynipini from which all three loci were present in the GenBank database. Confirming morphological work, we find that Z. davisae is most closely related to species in the genera Callirhytis and Neuroterus, and appears to be a basal member of the “Quercus” section of the tribe Cynipini. We find that recent generic reclassifications within the Cynipini have made great progress towards clarifying the taxonomic relationships of species of gall-inducing wasps in this tribe, and we comment on several classifications that require additional research.

Development of microsatellite markers for an outbreaking species of oak gall wasp, Zapatella davisae (Hymenoptera: Cynipidae), in the northeastern United States

2018 ◽  
Vol 109 (4) ◽  
pp. 510-517
Author(s):  
J.C. Andersen ◽  
C.P. Camp ◽  
M.J. Davis ◽  
N.P. Havill ◽  
J.S. Elkinton
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Microsatellite Markers ◽  
Cape Cod ◽  
Northeastern United States ◽  
Gall Wasp ◽  
Closely Related Species ◽  
Quercus Velutina ◽  
Limited Sampling ◽  
Hardy Weinberg Equilibrium ◽  
Black Oak

AbstractPopulations of the recently described black oak gall wasp, Zapatella davisae Buffington (Hymenoptera: Cynipidae), have been identified as the cause of extensive tree damage and mortality to black oaks, Quercus velutina Lamarck (Fagales: Fagaceae), in the northeastern United States. Relatively little is known, however, about the distribution, phylogenetic placement, and lifecycle of this important tree pest. Therefore, we conducted next-generation sequencing using the Ion Torrent™ PGM (ThermoFisher Scientific, Inc.) platform to develop genomic resources for the study of Z. davisae and for other closely related species of oak gall wasps. Individual sequence reads were aligned, assembled into unique contigs, and the contigs were then utilized for the in silico isolation and development of microsatellite markers. In total, we screened 36 candidate microsatellite loci, of which 23 amplified consistently (five polymorphic and 18 monomorphic). We then examined whether the polymorphic loci could be used to infer whether populations of Z. davisae from Cape Cod and Nantucket are sexual or asexual by calculating several metrics of genetic diversity that might indicate the mode of reproduction. These included testing for statistical deviations from Hardy–Weinberg equilibrium (HWE) and for linkage disequilibrium (LD), observations for the presence of the Meselson effect, and by calculating the probability that clonal individuals are more prevalent than would be expected in a randomly mating population. While we found significant deviations from HWE and more clonal individuals than expected, our estimates of the Meselson effect were inconclusive due to limited sampling, and we found no evidence of LD. Therefore, the sexual/asexual status of Z. davisae populations remains uncertain.

Recruitment of native parasitoids by an introduced gall wasp Dryocosmus kuriphilus Yasumatsu, 1951 (Hymenoptera: Cynipidae) in Britain and France

2020 ◽  
Vol 156 (2) ◽  
pp. 111-116
Author(s):  
M.T. Jennings ◽  
R.R. Askew
Keyword(s):  
Native Species ◽  
Biological Control Agent ◽  
Control Agent ◽  
Pest Species ◽  
Gall Wasp ◽  
Dryocosmus Kuriphilus ◽  
Native Parasitoids ◽  
Torymus Sinensis ◽  
Gall Wasps ◽  
Major Pest

The invasive chestnut gall wasp Dryocosmus kuriphilus Yasumatsu (Hymenoptera: Cynipidae) is a major pest species of Castanea spp. worldwide. It only arrived in Britain in 2015 and the parasitoid community associated with it was studied in 2019. Eight native species of chalcidoid, previously known to be associated with oak gall wasps, were identified. These results are compared to a similar study (2016–2019) in France where four parasitoids were reared. However, this community included the deliberately introduced Torymus sinensis Kamijo, a specific biological control agent of D. kuriphilus. The presence of T. sinensis and the differences between the two communities is discussed.

Rise and Fall of an Oak Gall Wasp (Hymenoptera: Cynipidae) Outbreak in Massachusetts

2019 ◽  
Vol 48 (6) ◽  
pp. 1277-1285 ◽  
Author(s):  
Cameron J Smith-Freedman ◽  
Jeremy C Andersen ◽  
Brian P Griffin ◽  
Katherine Schick ◽  
Joseph S Elkinton
Keyword(s):  
New England ◽  
Population Size ◽  
First Record ◽  
Cape Cod ◽  
Woody Tissue ◽  
Gall Wasp ◽  
Martha's Vineyard ◽  
Parasitism Rates ◽  
Martha’S Vineyard ◽  
Black Oak

Abstract The recently described oak gall wasp Zapatella davisae Buffington & Melika (Hymenoptera: Cynipidae) has caused extensive damage and mortality to black oak trees, Quercus velutina L. (Fagales: Fagaceae), in coastal parts of New England, United States. Like many newly described and/or newly introduced species, it is unclear how long populations of Z. davisae have existed in this region. However, as this species forms galls on the woody-tissue of its host, it may be possible to obtain historical information about changes in its population size by examining the presence of galls in relation to annual growth nodes. Here, we explore the utility of this approach to determine population size changes in Z. davisae densities on Nantucket, Martha's Vineyard, and Cape Cod, Massachusetts, through dissection of black oak branches. In addition, we calculated parasitism rates during the years of study and obtained morphological and molecular identifications for the parasitoids associated with Z. davisae. Our results show significant changes in population sizes, with higher levels of parasitism at sites on Martha's Vineyard and Cape Cod compared to sites on Nantucket. In addition, morphological examinations, in combination with DNA sequencing, identified the associated parasitoids as five species in the genus Sycophila Walker (Hymenoptera: Eurytomidae). We comment that considerable morphological variation within several of these recovered species was observed, present the first record of males for a species from which only females have been described, and suggest that future work is required to clarify the species boundaries for this important parasitoid group.

scholarly journals Mitogenomic analysis of diversity of key whitefly pests in Kenya and its implication to their sustainable management

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Fathiya M. Khamis ◽  
Fidelis L. O. Ombura ◽  
Inusa J. Ajene ◽  
Komivi S. Akutse ◽  
Sevgan Subramanian ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Sustainable Management ◽  
Management Strategies ◽  
Spatial Models ◽  
Abundant Species ◽  
Plant Viruses ◽  
Pest Species ◽  
Agricultural Pests ◽  
Protein Coding ◽  
Aleyrodes Proletella ◽  
Aleurodicus Dispersus

AbstractWhiteflies (Hemiptera: Aleyrodidae) are devastating agricultural pests of economic importance vectoring pathogenic plant viruses. Knowledge on their diversity and distribution in Kenya is scanty, limiting development of effective sustainable management strategies. The present study is aimed at identifying whitefly pest species present in Kenya across different agroecological zones and establish predictive models for the most abundant species in Africa. Whiteflies were sampled in Kenya from key crops known to be severely infested and identified using 16S rRNA markers and complete mitochondrial genomes. Four whitefly species were identified: Aleyrodes proletella, Aleurodicus dispersus, Bemisia afer and Trialeurodesvaporariorum, the latter being the most dominant species across all the agroecology. The assembly of complete mitogenomes and comparative analysis of all 13 protein coding genes confirmed the identities of the four species. Furthermore, prediction spatial models indicated high climatic suitability of T. vaporariorum in Africa, Europe, Central America, parts of Southern America, parts of Australia, New Zealand and Asia. Consequently, our findings provide information to guide biosecurity agencies on protocols to be adopted for precise identification of pest whitefly species in Kenya to serve as an early warning tool against T. vaporariorum invasion into unaffected areas and guide appropriate decision-making on their management.

Taxonomy of inquilines of oak gall wasps of Panama, with description of eight new species of Synergus Hartig (Hymenoptera, Cynipidae, Synergini)

Zootaxa ◽  
2011 ◽  
Vol 2774 (1) ◽  
pp. 1 ◽  
Author(s):  
JOSE LUIS NIEVES-ALDREY ◽  
ENRIQUE MEDIANERO
Keyword(s):  
Cluster Analysis ◽  
New Species ◽  
Single Species ◽  
Palaearctic Species ◽  
Gall Wasp ◽  
Gall Wasps ◽  
First Time

This paper reports the first study of the inquiline oak gall wasp fauna of Panama. Samples were collected at 19 sites in Panama, and inquiline specimens were reared from 63 gall morphotypes, including six species of Quercus, mainly Q. salicifolia and Q. bumelioides. Two genera were found: Synergus, represented by 10 species, and the recently described genus Agastoroxenia Nieves-Aldrey & Medianero, with a single species, A. panamensis Nieves-Aldrey & Medianero. Synergus was recorded for the first time in Panama; Synergus mesoamericanus and Synergus nicaraguensis, which were formerly recorded from Guatemala and Nicaragua, have now been recorded in Panama, and eight new species of Synergus are described here: Synergus elegans, S. laticephalus, S. ramoni, S. rufinotaulis, S. luteus, S. gabrieli, S. baruensis and S. chiricanus. A key for the identification of the studied fauna is provided. An overall similarity cluster analysis of the inquilines of oak gall wasps of Panama, including one Neotropical and two Palaearctic species as outgroups, is included.

Notes on the larval morphology of Pteromalidae (Hymenoptera: Chalcidoidea) species parasitoids of gall wasps (Hymenoptera: Cynipidae) in Europe

Zootaxa ◽  
2012 ◽  
Vol 3189 (1) ◽  
pp. 39 ◽  
Author(s):  
JOSE F. GÓMEZ ◽  
JOSE LUIS NIEVES-ALDREY
Keyword(s):  
Comparative Study ◽  
Body Shape ◽  
Larval Morphology ◽  
Gall Wasp ◽  
Larval Body ◽  
Diagnostic Characters ◽  
Gall Wasps ◽  
First Time ◽  
Scanning Electron

A comparative study of the larval morphology and biology of Arthrolytus glandium Bouček, Cecidostiba fungosa Geof-froy in Fourcroy, Cecidostiba geganius (Walker), Pteromalus bedeguaris (Thomson), Pteromalus hieracii (Thomson),Pteromalus isarchus Walker, Rivasia fumariae Askew & Nieves-Aldrey and Stinoplus lapsanae Graham (Pteromalidae)is presented. These eight species are all parasitoids of gall wasps in Europe and are components of communities associatedwith different gall-wasp food guilds: galls on herbs, shrubs and oaks. Special attention was paid to larval body shape, headcapsule characters, the mouthparts and especially the mandibles and the chaetotaxy of the head. Diagnostic characters ofthe genera are provided and except for R. fumariae the terminal instar larvae of all studied species are described and illus-trated for the first time with scanning electron photomicrographs. Information on the biology of each species, including new rearing records, is given.

scholarly journals First Report of Diplodia corticola Causing Bleeding Cankers on Black Oak (Quercus velutina)

Plant Disease ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 101 (1) ◽  
pp. 257 ◽  
Author(s):  
I. A. Munck ◽  
S. A. Wyka ◽  
M. J. Bohne ◽  
W. J. Green ◽  
N. W. Siegert
Keyword(s):  
Quercus Velutina ◽  
First Report ◽  
Black Oak

scholarly journals Phylogenetic placement of Hanseniaspora–Kloeckera species using multigene sequence analysis with taxonomic implications: descriptions of Hanseniaspora pseudoguilliermondii sp. nov. and Hanseniaspora occidentalis var. citrica var. nov.

2006 ◽  
Vol 56 (5) ◽  
pp. 1157-1165 ◽  
Author(s):  
Neza Cadez ◽  
Peter Raspor ◽  
Maudy Th. Smith
Keyword(s):  
Type Strain ◽  
Large Subunit ◽  
Elongation Factor ◽  
Sequence Divergence ◽  
Species Group ◽  
Ribosomal Gene ◽  
Internal Transcribed Spacers ◽  
Polymorphism Analysis ◽  
Protein Coding ◽  
Protein Coding Genes

Two protein-coding genes, actin and translation elongation factor-1α (EF-1α), as well as two ribosomal gene regions, D1/D2 domains of the large subunit and both internal transcribed spacers including the 5.8S gene region, were evaluated regarding their usefulness for reconstruction of phylogenetic relationships in the Hanseniaspora–Kloeckera species group. This included analyses of sequence divergence values, heterogeneity of evolutionary rates and the reliability of the inferred trees. Both protein-coding genes showed greater capacities to resolve at the strain level and between the closely related species of Hanseniaspora–Kloeckera, compared with the ribosomal gene regions. However, to obtain a fully resolved and reliable phylogenetic tree that reflected the biological relationships it was necessary to combine three congruent sequence datasets. The novel species Hanseniaspora pseudoguilliermondii sp. nov. (type strain CBS 8772T) is described as a result of the application of various molecular approaches to delimit species. Furthermore, incongruent gene genealogies of genetically divergent strains of Hanseniaspora occidentalis, as determined by amplified fragment length polymorphism analysis and DNA–DNA reassociation measurements, indicated the presence of two novel varieties, H. occidentalis var. occidentalis (type strain CBS 2592T) and H. occidentalis var. citrica var. nov. (type strain CBS 6783T), which could be distinguished by habitat preference.

scholarly journals Invertebrate Community Associated with the Asexual Generation of Bassettia pallida Ashmead (Hymenoptera: Cynipidae)

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kelly L. Weinersmith ◽  
Andrew A. Forbes ◽  
Anna K.G. Ward ◽  
Pedro F. P. Brandão-Dias ◽  
Y. Miles Zhang ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Natural Enemies ◽  
Gulf Coast ◽  
Insect Communities ◽  
Gall Wasp ◽  
Major Question ◽  
Wasp Species ◽  
Asexual Generation ◽  
Gall Wasps ◽  
Diverse Community ◽  
Future Work

AbstractCynipid gall wasps play an important role in structuring oak invertebrate communities. Wasps in the Cynipini tribe typically lay their eggs in oaks (Quercus L.), and induce the formation of a “gall”, which is a tumor-like growth of plant material that surrounds the developing wasp. As the wasp develops, the cynipid and its gall are attacked by a diverse community of natural enemies, including parasitoids, hyperparasitoids, and inquilines. Determining what structures these species-rich natural enemy communities across cynipid gall wasp species is a major question in gall wasp biology. Additionally, gall wasps are ecosystem engineers, as the abandoned gall is used by other invertebrates. The gall-associated insect communities residing on live oaks (Quercus geminata Small and Q. virginiana Mill.) are emerging as a model system for answering ecological and evolutionary questions ranging from community ecology to the evolution of new species. Documenting the invertebrates associated with cynipids in this system will expand our understanding of the mechanisms influencing eco-evolutionary processes, record underexplored axes of biodiversity, and facilitate future work. Here, we present the community of natural enemies and other associates of the asexual generation of the crypt gall wasp, Bassettia pallida Ashmead. We compare the composition of this community to communities recently documented from two other cynipid gall wasps specializing on live oaks along the U.S. Gulf coast, Disholcaspis quercusvirens Ashmead and Belonocnema treatae Mayr. B. pallida and their crypts support a diverse arthropod community, including over 25 parasitoids, inquilines, and other associated invertebrates spanning 5 orders and 16 families.

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