Zachary Lahey

United States Department of Agriculture | USDA · Agricultural Research Service (ARS)

The genus Pulchrisolia Szabó is revised. Pulchrisolia maculata Szabó is redescribed and nine species are described as new: P. ankremos Lahey, sp. nov. (Ghana, Ivory Coast), P. asantesana van Noort & Lahey, sp. nov. (South Africa), P. diehoekensis van Noort & Lahey, sp. nov. (South Africa), P. ellieae Lahey, sp. nov. (Madagascar), P. nephelae Lahey,...

The genus Aleyroctonus Masner & Huggert is revised. Aleyroctonus pilatus Masner & Huggert is redescribed, and two species are described as new: A. miasmus Lahey & Polaszek, sp. nov. (Australia) and A. stanslyi Lahey & Polaszek, sp. nov. (Australia). We consider Aleyroctonus to be most closely related to a complex of three morphologically similar ge...

The superfamily Platygastroidea (Hymenoptera: Proctotrupomorpha) is a diverse group of parasitoid wasps that are parasitoids of nine orders of insects as well as spiders. They appear to show a clear pattern of host group specificity among genera. A robust phylogeny is essential for devising a stable and informative classification and understanding...

The genus Phoenoteleia Kieffer is revised. Phoenoteleia canalis Dodd, P. rufa Kieffer, and P. rufescens (Kieffer) are redescribed, P. fusca (Kieffer) is transferred to Dicroscelio Kieffer as Dicroscelio fuscus (Kieffer), comb. nov., and six species are described as new: P. buka Lahey, sp. nov. (Fiji), P. gunnelsi Lahey, sp. nov. (Indonesia), P. hal...

The genus Alfredella Masner & Huggert is revised. Alfredella tasmanica Masner & Huggert is redescribed, Al. teres (Buhl), comb. nov. is transferred to Alfredella from Amitus Haldeman, and Al. auriel Lahey, sp. nov. (New South Wales, Tasmania) and Al. mephisto Lahey, sp. nov. (Western Australia) are described as new. The genus Masnerium Polaszek, sy...

Two novel iflaviruses were detected in the metatranscriptome of the gray lawn leafhopper, Exitianus exitiosus (Uhler). The assembled genome sequence of Exitianus exitiosus virus 1 was 9,858 nucleotides (nt) long and encodes a 3,083-amino acid (aa) polyprotein. Exitianus exitiosus virus 2 was 10,219 nt long and encodes a 2,947-aa polyprotein.

A morphological and molecular analysis of Gryon Haliday (Platygastroidea, Scelionidae) was conducted to provide a taxonomic and phylogenetic context for a species under evaluation as a biological control agent of Bagrada hilaris (Burmeister) (Hemiptera, Pentatomidae). Our analysis revealed that Gryon is polyphyletic and that the biological control...

The platygastrid subfamily Sceliotrachelinae, while represented globally by numerous biologically important taxa, is generally poorly known for the Afrotropical region. It contains a number of species of economic significance, including some that attack hemipteran pests of citrus. Here we review the taxonomy of the subfamily for the region. We revi...

The pomegranate butterfly Deudorix (= Virachola) livia is the major pest of pomegranate, a crop of economic importance, in Oman. A species of parasitoid wasp in the hymenopteran family Scelionidae is responsible for high levels of mortality of its eggs. This wasp is described herein as Telenomus nizwaensis Polaszek sp. n., based on morphology and D...

The Hymenoptera is a species-rich group of insects that includes ants, bees, wasps, parasitoids, and sawflies. The classification and evolutionary history of the group is summarized. The features of the parasitoid life-history strategy and its relationship to predatory behavior are summarized. Four phytophagous life-history strategies are discussed...

Parasitic wasps largely rely on chemosenses to locate resources. Understanding the evolution of their chemoreceptors can help elucidate the mechanisms underlying host adaptation and speciation. Trissolcus basalis is a biological control agent of the southern green stink bug, a pantropical pest, and is ideal for investigating the evolution of chemor...

Noyesaphytis Polaszek & Woolley gen. nov. (type species Noyesaphytis lasallei Polaszek & Woolley sp. n. ) is described from Berenty, Tuléar, Madagascar. The genus differs from its closest relatives primarily in the structure of the female antenna, which has a single, elongate flagellum preceded by four anelli, the largest of which could be interpre...

Calixomeria lasallei gen. n. et sp. n. is described as a new genus and species of Sceliotrachelinae. Calixomeria most closely resembles genera of the Aphanomerus-cluster but possesses several characters that readily separate it from other sceliotracheline genera. The key of Masner and Huggert (1989) is modified to accommodate Calixomeria, and the r...

A new host and distribution record is provided for the whitefly parasitoid Baeoentedon balios Wang, Huang, & Polaszek (Hymenoptera: Eulophidae). Specimens were reared from ficus whitefly, Singhiella simplex (Singh) (Hemiptera: Aleyrodidae), in St. Petersburg, FL, USA, representing the second confirmed host for B. balios, as well as the first record...

Classical biocontrol programs usually employ multiple species to control a single pest; however, the beneficial effects are not always additive due to competition between the introduced species. Knowledge of these potentially negative interactions is crucial when determining whether the introductions were successful and the extent to which they inf...

An updated list to the world fauna of parasitoid Hymenoptera reared from members in the Bemisia tabaci species complex (Hemiptera: Aleyrodidae) is provided. In total, 112 parasitoid species in 5 families and 7 genera are tabulated along with their global distributions. Pertinent references are given to aid in the accurate identification of these mi...