a checklist of iranian cryptinae (hymenoptera: ichneumonidae) for all species recorded of iran is given. the list is based on detailed studies of all available published data and some new collected samples. until now 123 species in 42 genera belonging to 3 tribes of this subfamily have been known from iran. cryptinae is the most species-rich subfamilies of ichneumonidae, and has a worldwide dis...

the present study provides information about the cryptinae and ichneumoninae (hymenoptera: ichneumonidae) species collected from kerman province, during 2013. a total of 12 species belonging to 10 genera of these two subfamilies were collected and identified. they were cryptus inculcator (linnaeus, 1758); dichrogaster longicaudata (thomson, 1884); dichrogaster saharator (aubert, 1964) and mesos...

It takes a special kind of insect to pollinate an inside-out flower, which is exactly what the wasps that pollinate figs do. Crawling inside the firm swelling lined with microscopic flowers that will eventually ripen into a fleshy fig, tiny fig wasps pollinate the flowers within while laying their own eggs. However, the fig wasps’ robust nursery is not entirely secure. Renee Borges from the Ind...

It takes a special kind of insect to pollinate an inside-out flower, which is exactly what the wasps that pollinate figs do. Crawling inside the firm swelling lined with microscopic flowers that will eventually ripen into a fleshy fig, tiny fig wasps pollinate the flowers within while laying their own eggs. However, the fig wasps’ robust nursery is not entirely secure. Renee Borges from the Ind...

The relationship between body size and fitness in parasitoid wasps has several effects on parasitic ability, reproductive behavior in female wasps, and progeny fitness. Female wasps with various body sizes were obtained by mass-rearing a gregarious ectoparasitoid, Sclerodermus pupariae, which is one of the excellent parasites to control the larvae and pupae of Buprestidae and Cerambycidae. We i...

Isoprene is the most abundant volatile compound emitted by vegetation. It influences air chemistry and is part of plant defense against abiotic stresses. However, whether isoprene influences biotic interactions between plants and other organisms has not been investigated to date. Here we show a new effect of isoprene, namely its influence on interactions between plants and insects. Herbivory in...

It is often assumed that parasitic and disease-producing organisms tend to evolve benign relationships with their hosts over time. In contrast, theoretical arguments suggest that increased opportunities for parasite transmission will promote the evolution of increased virulence. The natural history of species-specific nematodes that parasitize fig-pollinating wasps permits the testing of these ...

Most of our knowledge on learning and memory formation results from extensive studies on a small number of animal species. Although features and cellular pathways of learning and memory are highly similar in this diverse group of species, there are also subtle differences. Closely related species of parasitic wasps display substantial variation in memory dynamics and can be instrumental to unde...

Symbiosis is a common phenomenon in which associated organisms can cooperate in ways that increase their ability to survive, reproduce, or utilize hostile environments. Here, we discuss polydnavirus symbionts of parasitic wasps. These viruses are novel in two ways: (1) they have become non-autonomous domesticated entities that cannot replicate outside of wasps; and (2) they function as a delive...