Hovorka, T. | bioRxiv Science

bioRxiv2026

First record of the subfamily Eucerotinae (Hymenoptera: Ichneumonidae) from the mainland Afrotropics, with a description of a new species

The ichneumonid subfamily Eucerotinae has been thought to be almost absent from the tropics, with the only known Afrotropical species found in Madagascar. We report the subfamily to be present in the mainland Afrotropics, and describe a new species, Euceros species 1 from Uganda and Cameroon (name not yet shown in preprint). The subfamily had likely not been observed in the mainland Afrotropics before due to low abundances and insufficient sampling. More Eucerotinae likely remain to be discovered in tropical Africa and Asia, although tropical America may genuinely have few eucerotine species. Much more extensive sampling will be needed before it is possible to make confident estimates of how eucerotine diversity is distributed globally.

zoology↗

bioRxiv2025

Level of host concealment shape parasitoid community of microlepidopteran species living on hops

1. BackgroundParasitoid-host interactions are key drivers of insect community structure, with host concealment influencing parasitoid diversity and parasitism rates. However, the effectiveness of different host defense strategies against parasitoids remains insufficiently understood. 2. ObjectiveThis study examines how host concealment level affects parasitoid communities and parasitism rates in two microlepidopteran species developing on hops (Humulus lupulus L.), Caloptilia fidella and Cosmopterix zieglerella, which employ leaf-rolling and leaf-mining strategies, respectively. 3. MethodsWe combined morphological identification with molecular species delimitation using ITS2 and CO1 markers and applied ASAP and bPTP methods to refine parasitoid taxonomy and detect cryptic species. 4. ResultsSemi-concealed C. fidella larvae in leaf rolls experienced significantly higher parasitism than their mining stages, whereas fully concealed C. zieglerella had lower parasitism rates. Molecular analyses confirmed the idiobiont strategy in Sympiesis acalle, S. sericeicornis, and Elachertus fenestratus, and bPTP proved more sensitive in detecting cryptic species than ASAP. 5. SignificanceThese findings demonstrate that semi-concealed hosts face a higher risk of parasitism than fully concealed hosts, suggesting that leaf-mining provides better protection than leaf-rolling in studied hosts. The study also highlights the power of molecular tools in species delimitation, emphasizing their importance for refining parasitoid taxonomy and advancing our understanding of host-parasitoid interactions.

zoology↗