Biology and Comparative Mitogenomics of Psyttalia carinata, Newly Recorded From China as a Parasitoid of Rhagoletis batava
- 1College of Life Science and Technology, Xinjiang Key Laboratory of Biological Resources and Genetic Engineering Xinjiang University Urumqi China
- 2Xinjiang Key Laboratory of Agricultural Biosafety Institute of Plant Protection, Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region Academy of Agricultural Sciences Urumqi Xinjiang China
- 3Key Laboratory of Integrated Pest Management on Crops in Northwestern Oasis, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs Urumqi Xinjiang China
Abstract
Reliable species identification, host confirmation, and biological information are essential for evaluating parasitoids in natural‐enemy systems. We integrated regional surveys, taxonomic evidence, direct host verification, life‐history observations, and comparative mitogenomics to characterize Psyttalia carinata , newly recorded from China as a parasitoid of the sea buckthorn fruit fly, Rhagoletis batava . Surveys covered 30 sites across Xinjiang. Species identity was established by morphological diagnosis and expert verification, while host association was confirmed by parasitoid emergence and dissection of puparia formed by larvae from sea buckthorn fruits; all emerged tephritids were R. batava . Of 8260 puparia from Altay and Akqi, 595 yielded adults or contained immature P. carinata , giving an overall apparent parasitism of 7.2%. Psyttalia carinata developed as a solitary larval–pupal koinobiont endoparasitoid and overwintered as a pupa within the host puparium. Malaise trap monitoring across two field seasons detected one concentrated annual period of adult activity in the Altay population, consistent with a univoltine life cycle. A factorial experiment with 720 adults showed that longevity decreased with increasing temperature, was markedly extended by honey feeding, and was generally greater in females than males. Illumina sequencing yielded a complete 15,633‐bp mitochondrial genome containing 37 genes and 82.7% A + T. Across five available Psyttalia mitogenome assemblies, variation was concentrated in tRNA gene order. P. carinata and P. incisi shared the same complete mitochondrial gene order, including nad4L–trnT–trnP–nad6, whereas P. concolor , P. humilis , and P. lounsburyi shared nad4L–trnP–trnT–nad6. However, phylogenetic analyses placed P. carinata as sister to the latter three‐species clade rather than to P. incisi , indicating that identical gene order did not correspond to the closest sequence‐based relationship. These findings provide an integrated biological and mitogenomic reference for P. carinata and a basis for evaluating its ecological role in the R. batava system.
Related
- Comparative Mitogenomics and Molecular Phylogeny of Agriculturally Significant Tephritid Fruit Fly Pests in Bangladesh
- Petal photosynthesis and dynamic alterations of carbon metabolism orchestrate floral maturation in Gardenia carinata
- Climatic factors, landscape composition and host plant traits co‐drive fruit infestation of unmanaged walnut trees by the invasive pest fly Rhagoletis completa (Cresson, 1929) (Diptera: Tephritidae)
- How host self-regulation governs hyperparasitoid persistence in a caterpillar-parasitoid-trigonalid system
- Density-Dependence and agricultural intensity affect host-parasite-parasitoid interactions in a bird-insect trophic system
BibTeX
@article{li2026biology,
title = {{Biology and Comparative Mitogenomics of Psyttalia carinata, Newly Recorded From China as a Parasitoid of Rhagoletis batava}},
author = {Kailiang Li and Zhiqiang Ge and Zhenyu Zhang and Wenchao Guo and Hongying Hu},
journal = {Ecology and evolution},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.1002/ece3.74415},
url = {https://europepmc.org/article/PMC/PMC13671880},
note = {CC BY},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Biology and Comparative Mitogenomics of Psyttalia carinata, Newly Recorded From China as a Parasitoid of Rhagoletis batava
AU - Kailiang Li
AU - Zhiqiang Ge
AU - Zhenyu Zhang
AU - Wenchao Guo
AU - Hongying Hu
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/01
JO - Ecology and evolution
DO - 10.1002/ece3.74415
UR - https://europepmc.org/article/PMC/PMC13671880
AB - Reliable species identification, host confirmation, and biological information are essential for evaluating parasitoids in natural‐enemy systems. We integrated regional surveys, taxonomic evidence, direct host verification, life‐history observations, and comparative mitogenomics to characterize Psyttalia carinata , newly recorded from China as a parasitoid of the sea buckthorn fruit fly, Rhagoletis batava . Surveys covered 30 sites across Xinjiang. Species identity was established by morphological diagnosis and expert verification, while host association was confirmed by parasitoid emergence and dissection of puparia formed by larvae from sea buckthorn fruits; all emerged tephritids were R. batava . Of 8260 puparia from Altay and Akqi, 595 yielded adults or contained immature P. carinata , giving an overall apparent parasitism of 7.2%. Psyttalia carinata developed as a solitary larval–pupal koinobiont endoparasitoid and overwintered as a pupa within the host puparium. Malaise trap monitoring across two field seasons detected one concentrated annual period of adult activity in the Altay population, consistent with a univoltine life cycle. A factorial experiment with 720 adults showed that longevity decreased with increasing temperature, was markedly extended by honey feeding, and was generally greater in females than males. Illumina sequencing yielded a complete 15,633‐bp mitochondrial genome containing 37 genes and 82.7% A + T. Across five available Psyttalia mitogenome assemblies, variation was concentrated in tRNA gene order. P. carinata and P. incisi shared the same complete mitochondrial gene order, including nad4L–trnT–trnP–nad6, whereas P. concolor , P. humilis , and P. lounsburyi shared nad4L–trnP–trnT–nad6. However, phylogenetic analyses placed P. carinata as sister to the latter three‐species clade rather than to P. incisi , indicating that identical gene order did not correspond to the closest sequence‐based relationship. These findings provide an integrated biological and mitogenomic reference for P. carinata and a basis for evaluating its ecological role in the R. batava system.
SN - 2045-7758
ER -