A taxonomic and phylogenetic study of the oriental Alysiinae and Opiinae (Hymenoptera braconidae)
PhD ceremony: Ms. S. Yaakop, 11.00 uur, Academiegebouw, Broerstraat 5, Groningen
Title: A taxonomic and phylogenetic study of the oriental Alysiinae and Opiinae (Hymenoptera braconidae)
Promotor(s): prof. M. Schilthuizen
Faculty: Mathematics and Natural Sciences
The taxonomy and phylogeny of two subfamilies of the family Braconidae (Hymenoptera), viz. Alysiinae and Opiinae, were investigated by performing a molecular phylogenetic study. Chapter 1 of the thesis covers the general introduction, specifying the objectives of the research project. Chapter 2 comprises a complete revision of the genus Heratemis Walker, 1860 (Alysiinae: Alysiini). Fourteen out of a total of 28 species are described as new to science and an identification key to the species is presented. A revision of the Oriental Alysiinae, with identification keys to the genera and species, is presented in Chapter 3. In total 21 species were found to be new to science. Without doubt many more taxa are awaiting discovery, considering the amount of undescribed examined species. The combination of four molecular markers (28S, 16S, COI and ND1) was used to improve a reconstruction of the phylogeny of the Alysiinae.The molecular phylogeny reconstruction of the Oriental Opiinae, as shown in Chapter 4, had to be restricted to a set of available Malaysian species. The best phylogenetic reconstruction was obtained by a combination of the results of three molecular markers (28S, 16S and ND1). The phylogenetic relationships of the subfamilies Alysiinae and Opiinae are discussed in Chapter 5. The monophyly of both the Alysiinae and Opiinae, and a sister relationship between these taxa, resulted from the analyses of the molecular data. For the Oriental taxa hardly any biological data are available, but the basal groups both within the Alysiinae and Opiinae consist of parasitoids associated with leaf-mining larvae.
| Last modified: | 15 September 2017 3.41 p.m. |
More news
-
23 April 2019
From paperclip to patent
How is it possible that an albatross doesn’t crash and die when it lands? And how come its large wings don’t break due to air resistance? That is what you would expect, according to the laws of aerodynamics. However, Professor Eize Stamhuis has discovered...
-
17 April 2019
Why lightning often strikes twice
In contrast to popular belief, lightning often does strike twice, but the reason why a lightning channel is ‘reused’ has remained a mystery. Now, an international research team led by the University of Groningen has used the LOFAR radio telescope to...
-
16 April 2019
Still going strong after four decades
On March 29th professor of Applied Physics Jeff de Hosson was offered a farewell symposium, a few months after his official retirement date near the close of 2018. ‘But 29 March was the 100th birthday of Jan Francken, my predecessor.’ Besides, De Hosson...