Classification and evolution of the Oraseminae (Hymenoptera: Eucharitidae) /
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| Other Authors: | , , |
| Format: | Thesis Book |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
1990.
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| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | ProQuest, Abstract Link to OAKTrust copy |
| Abstract: | The Eucharitidae are a group of small chalcidoid wasps that are parasites of ants. Keys and descriptions are provided for 55 species of Oraseminae and Eucharitinae in the Old World tropics and 33 new species and three new genera are described. A number of new synonomies for genera and species and new combinations are proposed. New descriptions of immature stages and behavior in Oraseminae and Eucharitinae are discussed. Phylogenetic analyses using parsimony methods were used to analyze morphological characters of adult and immature stages and behavior of Eucharitidae. Characters were analyzed using a minimum of a priori assumptions and all characters treated as unordered. The cladogram produced using adult characters alone was not sufficient to define affinities among groups. When characters coded from immature stages and behavioral characters were included in the analysis, they proved to be more conservative and resulted in higher resolution of relationships. The Oraseminae was determined to be a monophyletic group, however, characters previously used to define the group were homoplastic and resulted in misclassification of some species. New characters derived from the ovipositor and immature stages are used to define the subfamily. The limits of the subfamily Eucharitinae are expanded to include three new genera that were erected for new species and species transferred from Oraseminae as a result of the analysis. Monophyly of Eucharitinae is supported by adult and larval characters. The phylogeny of Eucharitidae is correlated with ant hosts. Myrmicinae are postulated as the ancestral host of Oraseminae, and Ponerinae as ancestral for Eucharitinae. Correlations between ant host subfamilies with the phylogeny for Eucharitidae suggest colonizing host adaptation rather than coevolution. Phylogenetic relationships among species of Oraseminae and basal Eucharitinae are used to analyze the historic biogeography. A composite reduced-area cladogram is produced that supports other studies of phylogenetic-area relationships in the Indo-Pacific region. Analyses were used to identify a distinct Indo-Pacific fauna in New Guinea and propose an evolutionary history for Old World Eucharitidae. |
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| Item Description: | Typescript (photocopy). Vita. "Major subject: Entomology." |
| Physical Description: | v, 335 leaves : illustrations ; 29 cm |
| Bibliography: | Includes bibliographical references. |