Skeletal morphology of Opius dissitus and Biosteres carbonarius (Hymenoptera: Braconidae), with a discussion of terminology

The Braconidae, a family of parasitic wasps, constitute a major taxonomic challenge with an estimated diversity of 40,000 to 120,000 species worldwide, only 18,000 of which have been described to date. The skeletal morphology of braconids is still not adequately understood and the terminology is par...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:PloS one 2012-04, Vol.7 (4), p.e32573-e32573
Main Authors: Karlsson, Dave, Ronquist, Fredrik
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Animals
Arthropod Antennae - ultrastructure
Autobiographies
Biodiversity
Biology
Biosteres carbonarius
Braconidae
Chalcidoidea
Diptera
Extremities - anatomy & histology
Female
Head - anatomy & histology
Hymenoptera
Hypotheses
Insecta
Interspecific
Jargon
Liopteridae
Male
Microscopy, Electron, Scanning
Morphology
Museums
Natural history
Opius
Opius dissitus
Photomicrographs
Physiology
Proctotrupoidea
Pteromalidae
Scelionidae
Species
Species diversity
Species Specificity
Sweden
Taxonomy
Terminology
Terminology as Topic
Terms and phrases
Wasps
Wasps - anatomy & histology
Wings, Animal - anatomy & histology
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Summary:The Braconidae, a family of parasitic wasps, constitute a major taxonomic challenge with an estimated diversity of 40,000 to 120,000 species worldwide, only 18,000 of which have been described to date. The skeletal morphology of braconids is still not adequately understood and the terminology is partly idiosyncratic, despite the fact that anatomical features form the basis for most taxonomic work on the group. To help address this problem, we describe the external skeletal morphology of Opius dissitus Muesebeck 1963 and Biosteres carbonarius Nees 1834, two diverse representatives of one of the least known and most diverse braconid subfamilies, the Opiinae. We review the terminology used to describe skeletal features in the Ichneumonoidea in general and the Opiinae in particular, and identify a list of recommend terms, which are linked to the online Hymenoptera Anatomy Ontology. The morphology of the studied species is illustrated with SEM-micrographs, photos and line drawings. Based on the examined species, we discuss intraspecific and interspecific morphological variation in the Opiinae and point out character complexes that merit further study.
ISSN:1932-6203
1932-6203
DOI:10.1371/journal.pone.0032573