Braconid and Ichneumonid Parasitoid Wasps - Biology, Systematics, Evolution and Ecology

The Ichneumonoidea is a vast and important superfamily of parasitic wasps, with some 60,000 described species and estimated numbers far higher, especially for small-bodied tropical taxa. The superfamily comprises two cosmopolitan families - Braconidae and Ichneumonidae - that have largely attracted separate groups of researchers, and this has to a considerable extent, and this has meant that understanding of their adaptive features has often been considered in isolation. This book considers both families, highlighting similarities and differences in their adaptations.The classification of the whole of the Ichneumonoidea, along with most other insect orders, has been plagued by typology whereby undue importance has been attributed to particular characters in defining groups. Typology is a common disease of traditional taxonomy such that, until recently, quite a lot of taxa have been associated with the wrong higher clades. The sheer size of the group, and until the last 30 or so years, lack of accessible identification materials, has been a further impediment to research on all but a handful of 'lab rat' species usually cultured initially because of their potential in biological control.New evidence, largely in the form of molecular data, have shown that many morphological, behavioural, physiological and anatomical characters associated with basic life history features, specifically whether wasps are ecto- or endoparasitic, or idiobiont or koinobiont, can be grossly misleading in terms of the phylogeny they suggest. This book shows how, with better supported phylogenetic hypotheses entomologists can understand far more about the ways natural selection is acting upon them.This book covers the same areas as "Parasitic Wasps" (Springer, 1997) (behaviour, physiology, development, anatomy, venoms, ecology and evolution), but they have been brought up to date in this book (much new data has become available over the intervening years). This new book also focuses on this superfamily with which the author has great familiarity. In addition, the book has greater emphasis on taxonomy and systematics, with subfamily level coverage to point out the importance and research potential of each group. Fossil taxa has a slightly higher profile, as does biogeography, global species richness and biological control. The book also highlights areas where research might be particularly rewarding and suggests systems/groups that need investigation. The author provides a large compendium of references to original research on each group. This book is an essential workmate for all postgraduates and researchers working on ichneumonoid or other parasitic wasps worldwide. It will stand as a reference book for a good number of years, and while rapid advances in various fields such as genomics and host physiological interactions will lead to new information, as an overall synthesis of the current state it will stay relevant for a long time.Brief TOC: Chapter 1 Introduction; Chapter 2 Classification and phylogeny; Chapter 3 Idiobionts, koinobionts and other life history traits; Chapter 4 Basic hymenopteran and ichneumonoid morphology; Chapter 5 Internal reproductive system; Chapter 6 The ovipositor; Chapter 7 Venoms and biochemical interactions with host; Chapter 8 Courtship and mating; Chapter 9 Host location and learning; Chapter 10 Ichneumonid subfamilies; Chapter 11 Braconid subfamilies; Chapter 12 Ecology and species richness and latitudinal trends; Chapter 13 Biological control and rearing parasitoids