• Source: Lysiphlebus

Lysiphlebus is a genus of parasitoid wasps belonging to the family Braconidae.
The genus has a near cosmopolitan distribution.
Species:

Lysiphlebus alpinus Stary, 1971
Lysiphlebus balcanicus Stary, 1998
Lysiphlebus cardui Marshall, 1896
Lysiphlebus confusus Tremblay & Eady, 1978
Lysiphlebus fabarum Marshall, 1896
Lysiphlebus testaceipes Cresson, 1880




Reproduction


Most Lysiphlebus species are haplodiploid, like other Hymenoptera. However, all-female lineages are common in some Lysiphlebus-taxa including L. fabarum, L. cardui and L. confusus.
In these asexual lineages, females can reproduce by a parthenogenetic mechanism, i.e. thelytoky, that involves automixis with central fusion.
The genetic system underlying sex determination in Lysiphlebus is "complementary sex determination", similar to the cape honey bee (see Haplodiploidy § Sex determination in honey bees). Unlike honey bees, however, the Lysiphlebus complementary sex determiner gene is thought to be present in multiple copies.
Asexual females may occasionally produce diploid males, which when mated with sexual females, can convert sexual into asexual lineages, a process which has been dubbed "contagious parthenogenesis".




Ecology


Like other Aphidiinae, Lysiphlebus are endoparasitoids of aphids. They lay their eggs inside the body of aphids, where their larvae develop, eventually spinning a mummy-like cocoon inside its remains.
Most Lysiphlebus species specialize in attacking ant-defended aphid colonies. They avoid attack by the ants through chemical mimicry of the aphid cuticular hydrocarbons.




References

Kata Kunci Pencarian:

• Lysiphlebus
• Lysiphlebus testaceipes
• Cornicle
• Asexual reproduction
• Aphid
• Aphidiinae
• Braconidae
• Aphis nerii
• Black bean aphid
• List of introduced species