Integrative taxonomy of Trichogramma vitessoides sp. nov. (Hymenoptera, Trichogrammatidae), an egg parasitoid of Heortia vitessoides from southern China.
- 1Xinjiang Key Laboratory of Biological Resources and Genetic Engineering, College of Life Science and Technology, Xinjiang University, Urumqi, China Xinjiang Key Laboratory of Biological Resources and Genetic Engineering, College of Life Science and Technology, Xinjiang University Urumqi China https://ror.org/059gw8r13.
- 2Forestry Institute of Maoming City, Maoming, China Forestry Institute of Maoming City Maoming China.
- 3Ecology and Nature Conservation Institute, Chinese Academy of Forestry, Beijing, China Ecology and Nature Conservation Institute, Chinese Academy of Forestry Beijing China https://ror.org/0360dkv71.
Abstract
Egg parasitoids of the genus Trichogramma Westwood, 1833 are widely used in integrated pest management, but their minute size and reduced morphology complicate identification. Using integrative taxonomy, we describe Trichogramma vitessoides Hu & Yang, sp. nov. from Guangdong, China, based on a laboratory colony established from parasitoids reared from naturally parasitised egg masses of Heortia vitessoides (Moore, 1885) (Lepidoptera, Crambidae), a defoliator of Aquilaria sinensis (Lour.) Spreng. Male genital morphology distinguishes the new species from morphologically similar congeners, particularly Trichogramma raoi Nagaraja, 1973, by differences in the shape of the dorsal extension, the aedeagus-to-apodeme ratio, and the length of the central ridges. The complete mitogenome is 16,221 bp in length, contains 37 genes, and has an A+T content of 84.4%. Bayesian and maximum-likelihood analyses based on the concatenated amino-acid sequences of the 13 mitochondrial protein-coding genes recovered the new species as sister to Trichogramma japonicum Ashmead, 1904. All 13 protein-coding genes had mean Ka/Ks ratios below 1, whereas atp8 showed the highest ratio, suggesting comparatively relaxed purifying selection. These results support recognition of the new species and expand genomic resources for Trichogramma systematics and biological control.
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BibTeX
@article{ge2026integrative,
title = {{Integrative taxonomy of Trichogramma vitessoides sp. nov. (Hymenoptera, Trichogrammatidae), an egg parasitoid of Heortia vitessoides from southern China.}},
author = {Zhiqiang Ge and Longzhou Chen and Ziyao Xian and Tianyi Gu and Zhongqi Yang and Yanlong Zhang and Jiangshan Xin and Hongying Hu},
journal = {ZooKeys},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.3897/zookeys.1295.211266},
url = {https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42959531},
note = {CC BY},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Integrative taxonomy of Trichogramma vitessoides sp. nov. (Hymenoptera, Trichogrammatidae), an egg parasitoid of Heortia vitessoides from southern China.
AU - Zhiqiang Ge
AU - Longzhou Chen
AU - Ziyao Xian
AU - Tianyi Gu
AU - Zhongqi Yang
AU - Yanlong Zhang
AU - Jiangshan Xin
AU - Hongying Hu
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/14
JO - ZooKeys
DO - 10.3897/zookeys.1295.211266
UR - https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42959531
AB - Egg parasitoids of the genus Trichogramma Westwood, 1833 are widely used in integrated pest management, but their minute size and reduced morphology complicate identification. Using integrative taxonomy, we describe Trichogramma vitessoides Hu & Yang, sp. nov. from Guangdong, China, based on a laboratory colony established from parasitoids reared from naturally parasitised egg masses of Heortia vitessoides (Moore, 1885) (Lepidoptera, Crambidae), a defoliator of Aquilaria sinensis (Lour.) Spreng. Male genital morphology distinguishes the new species from morphologically similar congeners, particularly Trichogramma raoi Nagaraja, 1973, by differences in the shape of the dorsal extension, the aedeagus-to-apodeme ratio, and the length of the central ridges. The complete mitogenome is 16,221 bp in length, contains 37 genes, and has an A+T content of 84.4%. Bayesian and maximum-likelihood analyses based on the concatenated amino-acid sequences of the 13 mitochondrial protein-coding genes recovered the new species as sister to Trichogramma japonicum Ashmead, 1904. All 13 protein-coding genes had mean Ka/Ks ratios below 1, whereas atp8 showed the highest ratio, suggesting comparatively relaxed purifying selection. These results support recognition of the new species and expand genomic resources for Trichogramma systematics and biological control.
SN - 1313-2989
SN - 1313-2970
ER -