This project consists of a four-year study of the systematics of the wasp genus Heterospilus (Hymenoptera: Braconidae, Doryctinae) found in Costa Rica. The subfamily Doryctinae is one of the largest and most diverse groups of wasps. They parasitize wood-boring insect larvae and play important roles as biological control agents, managing populations of these insects. The genus Heterospilus is estimated to comprise at least 250 species in Costa Rica. Specific objectives of this study are: (1) to prepare species descriptions and identification keys to the species; (2) to produce a species-group level phylogeny of Heterospilus based on DNA sequence data from 3 genes; (3) to publish these results in a monograph of the genus Heterospilus of Costa Rica; and (4) to develop associated web-based interactive identification keys linked to Tree of Life pages.
This study will result in the completion of the systematic treatment of the entire Costa Rican doryctine fauna. Because it is such a species-rich tropical group, the genus Heterospilus represents a valuable information source for broader studies of biodiversity, phylogeny, and biological control. A graduate student and postdoctoral associate will receive training in molecular and morphological systematic techniques, an understanding of braconid wasp systematics, and methods for the development of interactive keys.
This project funded the production of a taxonomic study of the doryctine braconid wasp tribe Heterospilini, one of the most diverse groups of insects and an important group of parasites of beetles, in Costa Rica. The goals of the project were completely fulfilled: a paper describing all of the discovered species of this group in Costa Rica (including an astounding 280 species new to science) has been published ih the journal ZooKeys and linked to a free online identification key at the LucID website. In addition, the evolutionary relationships of species within this goup have been investigated and compared to the usefulness of morphological traits; this work has been published in the journal PLoS One. One somewhat surprising finding is that the traits that are most useful for species identification are not necessarily useful for determining their gentic relationships. A postdoctoral associate was trained in the use of color digital photography through the microscope, and in z-stacking the images to obtain realistics photographs with high depth of field; in addition, the postdoc received training in the use of the Environmental scanning electron micoscope, and in using DNA sequences for estimating phylogenetic relationships among the insects. The results of this project greatly expland our knowledge of the diversity of tropical parasitoid wasps, and also exemplify a modern approach to describing the abundant species in large insect groups.
