Molecular phylogeny and host relationships of the ant-attacking Eucharitidae (Hymenoptera)

Within Hymenoptera, eucharitids comprise the most numerous and diverse group of eusocial insect parasitoids. Fifty-three genera of Eucharitidae are distributed worldwide in nearly every zoogeographical region. Phylogenetic relationships have previously been analyzed within a cladistic framework using morphological character coding, genetic markers, and a concatenated ‘total evidence’ data matrix. Morphology, molecules, and shared life history traits unite the Eucharitidae as a demonstrably monophyletic group with three subfamilies: Gollumiellinae, Oraseminae, and Eucharitinae. However, many lower-level relationships are unclear and vary according to dataset and analytical method. We present a molecular phylogeny based on an expanded matrix of over 360 taxa from both the Eucharitidae and its sister group, the Perilampidae. Molecular evidence from a combined-gene dataset (28S-D2-D3, 18S, COI, and COII) is used to assess relationships.

Eucharitidae are known to attack five subfamilies of ants, and here we focus on the wasps attacking the Ponerinae, Ectatomminae, and Myrmeciinae. We present an updated hypothesis of the correlation between the phylogenetic relationships of the parasitoid and host, including conclusions from molecular divergence dating.