Phylogenetics, taxonomy and host use of Neotropical Glyptapanteles parasitoid wasps

Glyptapanteles is a cosmopolitan genus of parasitoid wasps within Microgastrinae subfamily (Braconidae). The genus is perhaps among the most challenging within the subfamily because of its species richness, morphological uniformity and little extensive biological data. The Neotropical fauna is the most diverse and also the least studied. To date, only six Neotropical species have been reported. Based on 15,539 specimens (3,517 pinned and 12,022 in alcohol), 200 new species are being morphologically characterized from reared material from Costa Rica and Ecuador, two megadiverse countries. Phylogenetic analysis was performed on 136 species based on DNA sequences including portions of one mitochondrial (658 bp cytochrome c oxidase I) and two nuclear (440 bp of Wingless and 745 bp alpha spectrin) genes, for a total of 2010 aligned nucleotide sites. A concatenated analysis (Bayesian analyses of 57,000000 mixed model generations) displayed two major clades. Basal and terminal relationships in both clades are quite resolved, although less resolution occurs in some intermediate nodes. 21 Lepidoptera families are reported as hosts, and when this information is mapped onto the phylogeny, very few subclades share the same family as host.