AMEBICAN ENTOMOLOGICAL - ~- WNSTITUTE; ~-- ·- . ~ - - -- ICHNEWS Editor: Michael J. Sharkey Biological Resources Division/CLBRR Agriculture Canada Ottawa, ON KIA OC6, Canada Alternate Editor: David P. Wahl American Entomological Institute 3005 SW 56th Ave. Gainesville. FL 32608; USA Number 14 April1994 ichnmeumon-flies, or braconid from effectively communicating our EDITOR'S wasps. I'm talking about a nice, science to the public (and ultimately COMMENTS wholesome, down to earth, simple to our administrators). Lots of other common name like butterfly, bug, less diverse, and probably less eco­ ant, beetle, etc. Here we are talking nomically important groups, get Here is another issue of k.h.:. about one of the most diverse line­ more attention by the public simply ~. not too late this time. The next ages of living organisms (conserva­ because they do have a common issue will be published in early 1995 tively estimated at 50,000 species), name (e.g. grasshoppers, butterflies, and will cover newsworthy items one of the most economically impor­ ants). Do you think Holldobler & from 1994, therefore please respond tant groups of organisms (enor­ Wilson would have won the Pulitzer to the enclosed questionnaire ~ mously valuable because of Prize for 'The Ants' if the called their the end of 1994, so that you can biological control applications), and book, The Formicidae of the World? accumulate a year's worth of news. certainly one of the more fascinating I think not. Obviously, what we need Most of the items in this issue are groups in terms of its diversity of life is a really neat common name for this taken from responses sent to me al­ history strategies. and still we do not most important group, the Ichneu­ most a year ago. Fortunately, for the have a single common name to unify monoidea. Something to capture the newsletter, what was current a year the group. Surely this is one of the attention of the public, and to stimu­ ago remains so today. great, quirky artifacts of the history late and attract students to the study There are a number of items to ofscience! At first glance it's tempt­ of these wonderful organisms. The respond to in this issue of lchnews. ing to think that the ichneumonoids International Commission of Zoo­ In my article on venation on page have been overlooked in this regard logical Nomenclature doesn't apply (??) I request feedback. I would also because oftheir generally small body to common names, so who can say like to see some responses to Scott size. But how can that be the case that we shouldn't make one up. Shaw's article concerning a common when the tiniest creatures in the Having actually given this matter name for the Ichneumonoidea. Hymenoptera, the mymarids, do considerable thought, my suggestion have a common name (fairy tlies). is "Death Wasps." Why "Death Ultimately, we the scientists who Wasps" you ask? Why not? What DEATH WASPS work with braconids and ichneu­ feature more succinctly describes the monids must take the blame for not ichneumonoids than their ability to by Scott R. Shaw addressing this problem, for if we bring death to the hapless host vic­ University of Wyoming don't deal with it. who will? tim. With only a few exceptions they Do we need a common name for are true parasitoids, eventually kill­ the lchneumonoidea? What good ing the host insect. And it is this It really bugs me that we don't will it do us? Maybe it won't make ability to cause death that makes have a decent common name for the any difference at all, but then again them valuable to us (as hiocontrol Ichneumonoidea. I'm not talking maybe it might. Consider that the agents). Certainly the public has a about a modified derivation of the absence of a simple common name real fascination with parasitoid life scientific name like ichneumons. for our group may he preventing us style. Just look at the success of the lchnews 14, April 1994 "Alien" movies. The public is fasci­ he, is Dr. Wahl has kindly passed To the chalcidologists: yes, some nated with stories of parasitism, but along a few suggestions that Bra­ chalcids do spin silken cocoons, but it's up to us to relay the information conologists can deliberate. "The with .anal silk glands. It seems fitting in a form they can understand. Fi­ oldest common name for the Bra­ somehow, where chalcidoids mani­ nally, many generic names relate to conidae known to Dr. Wahl is 'The fest a reversal, they get it ass back­ the ability of the wasp to hunt, attack, supplementary Ichneumon-flies'. wards. Please give us your or kill (e.g. Microctonus, little mur­ The reference is Sharpe, D. 1895. suggestions for the next issue of~ derer; Orion, the hunter, a reference Peripatus, Myripods, Insects (Vol. 5 ~. to the sword of Orion; Doryctes, of Cambridge Natural history Se­ hunter with a spear; Sesioctonus, ries)., p. 558. Another name is 'Gar­ moth killer; Leptodrepana, slender bage Ichneumons'." According to ANOTHER LOOK AT sword). You can probably find other Dr. Wahl this probably refers to the WING VEIN/CELL examples. propensity ofsome alysiines and opi­ NOMENCLATURE. Critics might argue that the name ines to habituate foul environments. "Death Wasps" could be applied to One could simplify these names to Michael J. Sharkey any other group of parasitoid wasps 'garbage wasps' or 'filth wasps' or Agriculture Canada as well. Why restrict its use to the 'filthy garbage wasps' and have Ichneumonoidea? Well, there is the quite a catchy name; although, per­ As many readers know, a group matter ofhistorical precedence, since sonally I would like to have one of of us, known as the Parasitic the earliest observations of parasi­ these names apply strictly to the Opi­ Hymenoptera Advanced Research toid behaviour were made with the inae and Alysiinae (and this opinion Team (PHART), have embarked on Braconidae. The first published ac­ is unrelated to the fact that I would a project to key the New World gen­ count of insect parasitism is claimed be able to say that Bob Wharton is a era of Braconidae. One problem that to be Aldrovandi's 1602 work that specialist in filth wasps). By the we have had to overcome is to agree includes an account ofthe gregarious way, if Dr. Wahl is right in thinking on wing nomenclature. Most of us parasitoid Cotesia glomerata attack­ that Ichneumonologists are content are settled on the fact that we will use ing larva of the cabbage butterfly. with the common name Ichneumon­ some version of the Comstock­ "Am I mad," you say? Perhaps. flies, perhaps Braconologists might Needham system. But I challenge any of you to come do well to consider Braconid-bugs? In the paragraphs that follow I up with a better common name for All this bantering still leaves the will outline the Comstock-Needham our group. Certainly we have all had superfamily without a common system as it has been employed, for the experience of watching some­ name; and I agree wholeheartedly example, in the "Hymenoptera Of one's eyes glaze over (Roll back, and with Dr. Shaw that coining one is a The World". Following this I will flutter) as you begin to explain what valuable aim. I'm of the opinion that introduce some modifications that you do for a living. The next time 'death wasps' is a little too dramatic we are thinking of incorporating. I you are at a party and someone asks and offer a drier suggestion, 'silk would like anyone who has criti­ you what you do, tell them that you wasps or cocoon wasps'. This name cisms or suggestions for improving study Death Wasps, and see what refers to the fact that Ichneu­ the system to get in touch with me as happens. monoidea have retained the ability, soon as possible. as larvae, to produce silk with labial The Comstock-Needham silk glands. Ichneumonoids (with the system recognizes eight major longi­ "AM I MAD?" rare loss) use labial silk to spin co­ - A RESPONSE tudinal veins, abbreviated by capital TO coons and to tie leaves. Besides the letters. Starting from the anterior SCOTT SHAW. Aculeata, the only other hymenop­ margin of the wing they are: costa terans to have functional labial silk (C), subcosta (Sc), radius (R), by Michael 1. Sharkey glands are the Aulacidae, Gasterup­ medius (M), cubitus (Cu) and 3 anal B.R.D.. Agriculture Canada tiidae and Trigonalidae. These latter ( IA, 2A, 3A). In addition, there may groups can be safely ignored, and as be a short jugal (J) vein in some In a letter to the editorial depart­ for the aculeates, well, they already Symphyta. have their own ment of this newsletter Dr. Wahl common name. When a vein is branched the Cladists took some objection to the article by might be thinking that the most anterior branch is given the lack of functional Dr. S. Shaw. Specifically he was labial silk glands subscript I and the more posterior might rather mi !Ted by the suggestion that be a synapomorphy for the branches the subscripts 2, 3 .... This remainder of the Apocrita, the name Ichneumon-tlies was ridi­ i.e. the is done for all veins except R. When Apocrita minus culed. In his letter Dr. Whal noted (-) Aculcata, Ichneu­ R branches the most anterior branch monoidea, Trigonalidae, Gasterupti­ that it is the braconologist's who lack is called R 1 but the second branch is idae a common name for their group. Be­ and Aulacidae). I believe that called the radial sector (RS). ing the magnanimous individual that they would be right.