Leafminers are serious pests in many systems and parasitic Hymenoptera
offer one proven means of controlling them. Currently, very few
parasitoids are known from leafmining Buprestidae. A rare opportunity,
the George Vogt Collection, has presented itself in terms of increasing
our knowledge of host relationship in these groups.
This collection was amassed by George Vogt between the late 1950s and
early 1980s and contains, in conservative estimates, at least 1,500
shell vials containing individually reared parasitoids, all with host
insect and host plant data. Of particular note are the host
associations between the host plants, plant-feeding insects and their
parasitoids (primarily wasps), many of which have not been previously
documented and probably represent undescribed species. This project
seeks to successfully identify and associate a large series of parasitic
wasps (Hymenoptera) and their host insects, leafmining Coleoptera, from
the Neotropical region. The addition of extensive series of reared
leafmining jewel beetles (Buprestidae), leaf beetles and weevils
(Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae, Curculionidae) and their parasitoids to the
National Collections will greatly enhance our understanding of these
important groups.
Keywords: Neotropics
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