Diversity and Distribution of Braconidae, a Family of Parasitoid Wasps in the Central European Peatbogs of South Bohemia, Czech Republic

Abstract

An ecological overview of seven years investigation of Braconidae, a family of parasitoid wasps (Hymenoptera: Ichneumonoidea) and a tyrpho-classification of parasitoids in peatbog areas of South Bohemia, Czech Republic are given. A total of 350 species were recorded in investigated sites, but only five tyrphobionts (1.4%) are proposed: Microchelonus basalis, Microchelonus koponeni, Coloneura ate, Coloneura danica and Myiocephalus niger. All of these species have a boreal-alpine distribution that, in Central Europe, is associated only with peatbogs. Tyrphophilous behaviour is seen in at least four (1.1%) species: Microchelonus pedator, Microchelonus subpedator, Microchelonus karadagi and Microchelonus gravenhorstii; however, a number of other braconids prefer peatbogs because they were more frequently encountered within, rather than outside, the bog habitat. The rest of the braconids (342 species, 97.5%) are tyrphoneutrals, many of them being eurytopic components of various habitats throughout their current ranges. Lists of tyrphobiontic braconids and a brief commentary on species composition, distributional picture of actual ranges, and parasitoid association to bog landscape are provided. Being true refugial habitats for populations in an ever-changing world, peatbogs play a significant role in harboring insect communities.

A contribution to the subfamilies Helconinae, Homolobinae, Macrocentrinae, Meteorinae and Orgilinae (Hymenoptera: Braconidae) fauna of South-eastern Anatolia region with new records from other parts of Turkey

“…Orgilus pimpinellae parasitized species of Acrolepiidae, Coleophoridae, Gelechiidae, Momphidae, Oecophoridae, and Pyralidae (Lepidoptera). This species was reported to be an important biological control agent (Lozan et al, 2008).…”

Revision of the western Palaearctic species of Aleiodes Wesmael (Hymenoptera, Braconidae, Rogadinae). Part 2: Revision of the A. apicalis group

“…Aleiodes (Chelonorhogas) unipunctator; Belokobylskij, : 44, 2003Chen & He, 1997: 43;He et al, 2000: 667;Rastegar et al, 2012: 3;Farahani et al, 2015: 229, 244. Aleiodes unipunctator;Čapek & Lukás, 1989: 31;Bergamasco et al, 1995: 6;O'Connor et al: 1999: 92;Fortier & Shaw, 1999: 230;Belokobylskij & Taeger, 2001: 115;Marsh & Shaw, 2001: 303;Belokobylskij et al, 2003: 399;Zaldivar-Riverón et al, 2004: 234;Papp, 2005: 177;Lozan et al 2010: 17. Ichneumon ductor Thunberg, 1822Papp, 1985a: 157 (not auctt.…”

Isolated peat bog habitats and their food connections: parasitoids (Hymenoptera: Ichneumonoidea) and their lepidopteran hosts

“…All other reared parasitoids in our samples (see Table 1) are opportunistic habitat-generalist of the tyrphoneutral level of association with peat bogs (cf. Lozan 2002; for non-reared peat bog Braconidae material collected by sweeping and light trapping see Lozan et al 2010a).…”

“…tyrphophilous) Lepidoptera are well represented in peatlands (Mikkola and Spitzer 1983;Spitzer and Danks 2006; and references therein), the vast majority of bog HymenopteraParasitica (e.g. Braconidae) seems to be tyrphoneutral (Lozan et al 2009 and2010a, for data from northern Europe cf. Krogerus 1960).…”