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ARS Home » Northeast Area » Beltsville, Maryland (BARC) » Beltsville Agricultural Research Center » Systematic Entomology Laboratory » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #416571
Research Project: Systematics of Beetles, Flies, Moths and Wasps with an Emphasis on Agricultural Pests, Invasive Species, Biological Control Agents, and Food Security

Location: Systematic Entomology Laboratory

Title: Description of a new species of Chrysonotomyia Ashmead from Houston, Texas, USA (Hymenoptera, Chalcidoidea, Eulophidae)

Author
item O'LOUFHLIN, BRENDAN - RICE UNIVERSITY
item BRANDAO-DIAZ, PEDRO - RICE UNIVERSITY
item GATES, MICHAEL
item EGAN, SCOTT - RICE UNIVERSITY

Submitted to: ZooKeys
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 8/12/2024
Publication Date: 9/18/2024
Citation: O'Loufhlin, B., Brandao-Diaz, P., Gates, M.W., Egan, S. 2024. Description of a new species of Chrysonotomyia Ashmead from Houston, Texas, USA (Hymenoptera, Chalcidoidea, Eulophidae). ZooKeys. 1212:241-254. https://doi.org/10.3897/zookeys.1212.127537.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.3897/zookeys.1212.127537

Interpretive Summary: Oak trees have major cultural and ecological significance and dominate forested areas throughout the USA. Like many oaks, the coastal live oak hosts insects that create deformities called galls in their tissues. These growths can negatively affect tree health and appearance, especially in younger nursery stock. A leaf gall wasp on coastal live oak is attacked by a new species of parasitic wasp, herein described. This research will be used by growers, foresters, biocontrol workers, and other scientists to better understand our native gall wasps and their parasites.

Technical Abstract: A new species of the genus Chrysonotomyia Ashmead, Chrysonotomyia susbelli sp. n., is described from the Rice University campus in Houston, Texas, USA. This represents the 1st species of the genus known to parasitize cynipid gall wasps and the 6th species known from America north of Mexico. The species description is complimented by mtDNA-COI-barcode data, new information on the natural history of this species. Modifications to the key of New World members of the genus (Hansson, 2004) are included to integrate this new species.