Problems and solutions in the taxonomy of Lygus bugs (Hemiptera: Miridae) parasitoids (Hymenoptera: Braconidae: Euphorinae)
K. W. Neatby Building, 960 Carling Avenue, Ottawa, ON, Canada
Correspondence: gouleth@agr.gc.ca
Sixteen species of parasitoids of Lygus are known in North America. Four species belong to the genus Leiophron and 12 to Peristenus. Except for three intentionally introduced species, 13 are native. Most of the species belong to the Peristenus pallipes species complex. Classical studies stop here as no character states works. Different approaches were needed to resolve this species complex. Basically, this species complex was resolved by reducing the diversity of species within the complex. One way to reduce the diversity was to look at the complex from a life zone (e.g., cold temperate regions of eastern North America), and an ecosystem within the chosen life zone (e.g., old permanent hay fields sites south of Montreal) followed by weekly analyses of specimens captured at above sites. Synchronous species for a given week sample were generally recognizable. This approach required careful season long field work. Another way to reduce the diversity was to study long series of parasitoids reared from specific hosts (e.g., Lygus lineolaris or L. vanduzei). This last approach yielded the fastest recognition of cryptic species as only a few species within a species complex may be found within a single host. Rearing is difficult, time consuming and expensive, but the biological data is crucial in species recognition. These parasitoid species are likely to be distinct from one another for a given Lygus generation. Long series helped in developing reliable statistics for several characters leading to the discovery of each cryptic species within the species complex.
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