skip to main content
US FlagAn official website of the United States government
dot gov icon
Official websites use .gov
A .gov website belongs to an official government organization in the United States.
https lock icon
Secure .gov websites use HTTPS
A lock ( lock ) or https:// means you've safely connected to the .gov website. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites.

Explore Research Products in the PAR
It may take a few hours for recently added research products to appear in PAR search results.


  • NSF Public Access
  • Search Results
  • Two new species of Ormyrus Westwood (Hymenoptera: Ormyridae) from Cynipidae (Hymenoptera) galls on Silphium L. (Asteraceae: Heliantheae)

This content will become publicly available on March 7, 2026

Title: Two new species of Ormyrus Westwood (Hymenoptera: Ormyridae) from Cynipidae (Hymenoptera) galls on Silphium L. (Asteraceae: Heliantheae)
Two new species of Ormyrus Westwood, 1832 (Hymenoptera: Chalcidoidea: Ormyridae) are described: Ormyrus myrae Nastasi, Alcorn, & Davis sp. nov. and Ormyrus bellbowl Nastasi, Alcorn, & Davis sp. nov. Species of Ormyrus are parasitoids in insect galls, especially those induced by Cynipidae (Hymenoptera: Cynipoidea), and the new species are parasitoids in galls induced by Antistrophus Walsh, 1869 (Cynipidae: Aulacideini) on rosinweeds of the genus Silphium L. (Asteraceae: Heliantheae). Ormyrus bellbowl is a parasitoid of Antistrophus meganae Tooker & Hanks, 2004 in stems of S. terebinthinaceum Jacq., as well as other species of Antistrophus inducing inconspicuous galls in stems of S. laciniatum L. Ormyrus myrae is a parasitoid of Antistrophus laciniatus Gillette, 1891 on S. laciniatum and S. terebinthinaceum; the latter represents a new association of A. laciniatus with S. terebinthinaceum. Previous records of O. labotus Walker, 1843 in association with Antistrophus species are suggested as the results of misidentifications.   more » « less
Award ID(s):
1856626 2338008
PAR ID:
10644199
Author(s) / Creator(s):
; ; ; ; ; ; ;
Publisher / Repository:
Zootaxa
Date Published:
Journal Name:
Zootaxa
Volume:
5601
Issue:
2
ISSN:
1175-5326
Page Range / eLocation ID:
265 to 287
Subject(s) / Keyword(s):
taxonomy
Format(s):
Medium: X
Sponsoring Org:
National Science Foundation
More Like this
  1. ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; et al (, Zootaxa)
    We describe new species in the genus Ceroptres Hartig, 1840 (Hymenoptera: Cynipidae: Ceroptresini) represented by voucher material sequenced by Ward et al. (2024). We describe 22 new species, all authored by Nastasi, Smith, & Davis: C. anansii sp. nov., C. anzui sp. nov., C. bruti sp. nov., C. curupira sp. nov., C. daleki sp. nov., C. dandoi sp. nov., C. demerzelae sp. nov., C. iktomii sp. nov., C. jabbai sp. nov., C. jarethi sp. nov., C. lokii sp. nov., C. lupini sp. nov., C. mallowi sp. nov., C. promethei sp. nov., C. sandiegoae sp. nov., C. selinae sp. nov., C. soloi sp. nov., C. songae sp. nov., C. swiperi sp. nov., C. thrymi sp. nov., C. tikoloshei sp. nov., and C. zorroi sp. nov. After our taxonomic treatment, the genus Ceroptres includes 43 species, all but three of which are known from North America. Among our new species are two reared from cecidomyiid midge galls, an association previously recorded but without valid taxonomic association. We provide new records for two additional previously described species; we record C. ensiger (Walsh, 1864) from Pennsylvania and confirm characters for the male, and we record C. lanigerae Ashmead, 1885 from Texas. We also examined several putative species corresponding to either C. cornigera Melika & Buss, 2002 and/or C. frondosae Ashmead, 1896, which we regard as a species complex that requires elucidation in future studies. To enable further studies on Ceroptres, we provide an updated key to North American females. Overall, we find that species of Ceroptres are host specialists associated with a single host gall species or several galls that are phylogenetically or ecologically related. We suggest that there are many North American species of Ceroptres, possibly hundreds, still awaiting collection and characterization.  
    more » « less
  2. ; (, Zootaxa)
    We describe three new aulacideine herb gall wasp species (Hymenoptera: Cynipidae: Aulacideini) from Kyrgyzstan, a country from which only two Aulacideini species were previously known. One of our new species represents a new genus, which we describe here as Soparia oshensis Nastasi gen. and sp. nov. We describe Panteliella rugosa Nastasi sp. nov., representing a new genus record for Kyrgyzstan. To further facilitate species recognition in Panteliella, we redescribe the genus and the species P. fedtschenkoi; provide a translated description of P. bianchii Vyrzhikovskaya, 1962; comment on complications affecting this genus; and provide a key to Panteliella species. Lastly, we describe Isocolus barakus Nastasi sp. nov., a species with morphology atypical of Isocolus. We provide a key to the Kyrgyz genera of Aulacideini to ensure that they remain diagnosable for future study. Our findings illustrate the continued unveiling of a diverse herb cynipid fauna in Central Asia and a need for further taxonomic study in the region.  
    more » « less
  3. ; (, Zootaxa)
    We describe Aulacidea manchuria Nastasi sp. nov., a new species of herb gall wasp from China and the second species of Aulacidea Ashmead, 1897 to be described from the country. Based on morphological data, A. manchuria belongs to the Aulacidea hieracii group, which is known to induce galls on the stems, leaves, and stolons of Hieracium L. and Pilosella Hill; we provide a key to Eastern Palearctic females of this species group to better enable identification of these species. We discuss records of herb gall wasps from China, the recognition of hawkweed gall wasp species, and further issues with taxonomy of this species group and of Aulacidea.   
    more » « less
  4. ; ; (, Zootaxa)
    We describe Diastrophus wushei Davis & Nastasi sp. nov. and D. renai Davis & Nastasi sp. nov., two gall wasp species collected on Wushe Mountain, Taiwan by the late Henry Townes. These species represent the first Diastrophini and potentially the first non-Fagaceae associated species of gall wasp described from Taiwan. We speculate on potential hosts plants for further study and possible avenues to elucidate their biology.  
    more » « less
  5. ; ; ; ; ; ; (, Biology Letters)
    The morphology of insect-induced galls contributes to defences of the gall-inducing insect species against its natural enemies. In terms of gall chemistry, the only defensive compounds thus far identified in galls are tannins that accumulate in many galls, preventing damage by herbivores. Intrigued by the fruit-like appearance of the translucent oak gall (TOG; Amphibolips nubilipennis , Cynipidae, Hymenoptera) induced on red oak ( Quercus rubra ), we hypothesized that its chemical composition may deviate from other galls. We found that the pH of the gall is between 2 and 3, making it among the lowest pH levels found in plant tissues. We examined the organic acid content of TOG and compared it to fruits and other galls using high-performance liquid chromatography and gas chromatography–mass spectrometry. Malic acid, an acid with particularly high abundance in apples, represents 66% of the organic acid detected in TOGs. The concentration of malic acid was two times higher than in other galls and in apples. Gall histology showed that the acid-containing cells were enlarged and vacuolized just like fruits mesocarp cells. Accumulation of organic acid in gall tissues is convergent with fruit morphology and may constitute a new defensive strategy against predators and parasitoids. 
    more » « less
  • Citation Formats
  • MLA
  • APA
  • Chicago
  • BibTeX
  • Save / Share this Record
  • Send to Email