A phylogeny of the Torymidae (Chalcidoidea) is estimated using 4734 nucleotides from five genes. Twelve outgroups and 235 ingroup taxa are used, representing about 70% of the recognized genera. Our analyses do not recover Torymidae as monophyletic and we recognize instead two families: Megastigmidae (stat. rev.) and Torymidae s.s. (stat. rev.). Within Torymidae s.s., we recognize six subfamilies and six tribes, including Chalcimerinae, Glyphomerinae and Microdontomerinae (subf. nov.), and two new tribes: Boucekinini and Propalachiini (trib. nov.). Seven unclassified genera (i.e. Cryptopristus, Echthrodape, Exopristoides, Exopristus, part of Glyphomerus, Thaumatorymus, Zaglyptonotus) are assigned to tribes within our new classification. Five genera are restored from synonymy-Ameromicrus and Didactyliocerus from under Torymoides (stat. rev.), Iridophaga and Iridophagoides from under Podagrionella (stat. rev.) and Nannocerus from under Torymus (stat. rev.)-and three genera are synonymized-Allotorymus under Torymus syn. nov., Ditropinotus under Eridontomerus syn. nov. and Pseuderimerus under Erimerus syn. nov. A Palaearctic or Eurasian origin for Torymidae is proposed. The ancestral area of Megastigmidae is indicated as the Australian region. The most probable ancestral life strategy for Torymidae s.s. is ectoparasitism on gall-forming Cynipidae. The life strategy and putative hosts of the common ancestor of Megastigmidae remain uncertain.
Many insects metamorphose from antagonistic larvae into mutualistic adult pollinators, with reciprocal adaptation leading to specialized insect-plant associations.It remains unknown how such interactions are established at molecular level. Here we assembled high-quality genomes of a fig species, Ficus pumila var. pumila, and its specific pollinating wasp, Wiebesia pumilae. We combined multi-omics with validation experiments to reveal molecular mechanisms underlying this specialized interaction. In the plant, we identified the specific compound attracting pollinators and validated the function of several key genes regulating its biosynthesis. In the pollinator, we found a highly reduced number of odorant-binding protein (OBP) genes and an OBP mainly binding the attractant. During antagonistic interaction, we found similar chemical profiles and turnovers throughout the development of galled ovules and seeds, and a significant contraction of detoxification-related gene families in the pollinator. Our study detects some key genes bridging coevolved mutualists, establishing expectations for more diffuse insect-pollinator systems.
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