Phylogenetics of chelonine wasps (Hymenoptera: Braconidae) with special reference to the Australian fauna

The Cheloninae are a diverse subfamily of braconid wasps which have a global distribution. There are about 1,300 described species in 15 genera and four tribes, but only 45 species (incl. five introduced species) in four genera are recorded for Australia. Chelonines are egg/larval parasitoids of Lepidoptera and can be easily distinguished from most other braconids by the presence of a metasomal carapace, where the first three tergites are fused into a dorsal plate. This study aims to assess the phylogenetic relationships among world genera employing sequence data from three genes, cytochrome c oxidase I (CO1), 28S (rDNA) and ef1α (nuclear DNA). Preliminary results show that most genera are monophyletic with the exception of Microchelonus (characterised by the presence of a large pit on the posterior metasoma), which falls within Chelonus. Genera belonging to the previously described tribes Pseudophanerotomini and Phanerotomini (containing species with sutures on the carapace) form a natural group but neither of the tribes is monophyletic. The species diversity of the Australian fauna, assessed using an integrated approach of COI data and morphology, is larger than hitherto expected: Ascogaster (68 species, 17 currently), Chelonus (57 species, 12 currently), Phanerotoma (42 species, 13 currently), and Phanerotomella (16 species, 3 currently). Additionally two new genera will be erected and one rare genus previously described form Korea has been found in Australia for the first time.