Recipient Organization
UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, DAVIS
410 MRAK HALL
DAVIS,CA 95616-8671
Performing Department
Entomology and Nematology
Non Technical Summary
This project supports the mission of the Agricultural Experiment Station by addressing the Hatch Act area(s) of: plant and animal production, protection, and health. This project involves the systematic and phylogenetic analyses of the aculeate wasp families Chrysididae and Tiphiidae. These wasps are parasitoids of soil-dwelling beetle larvae, wasps, solitary bees, sawflies and walking sticks. Each family contains between 2,000 and 4,000 species, with an estimated 15% of the species new to science. There has never been a comprehensive phylogenetic analysis of the family Tiphiidae, and analyses of the Chrysididae are decades old. Many of genera in both families need extensive reevaluation and revision.
Animal Health Component
(N/A)
Research Effort Categories
Basic
100%
Applied
(N/A)
Developmental
(N/A)
Goals / Objectives
1. To provide a stable taxonomic and phylogenetic framework for the wasp families Tiphiidae and Chrysididae.2. To document the diversity of members of these families in different habitats.
Project Methods
1. Taxonomic revision of selected groups of wasps.2. Field collecting and survey of these groups.3. Phylogenetic analysis of genera, tribes, subfamilies and families of these groups.4. On-line databasing of collection data and images of these taxa.