The Tachinid Times ISSUE 12 February 1999 Jim O’Hara, editor Agriculture & Agri-Food Canada, Biological Resources Program Eastern Cereal and Oilseed Research Centre C.E.F., Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, K1A 0C6 Correspondence: [email protected] The Tachinid Times began in 1988 when personal Evolution of Egg Structure in Tachinidae (by S.P. computers were gaining in popularity, yet before the Gaponov) advent of e-mail and the World Wide Web. A newsletter Using a scanning electron microscope I investigated distributed through the mail seemed like a useful the egg structure of 114 species of Tachinidae. The endeavour to foster greater awareness about the work of research was focused on the peculiarities of the egg others among researchers interested in the Tachinidae. surface and the structure of the aeropylar area. Data on Now, eleven years later, despite the speed and the method of egg-laying, the structure of the female convenience of e-mail and other advanced modes of reproductive system and the host range were also taken communication, this newsletter still seems to hold a place into consideration. Since any kind of adaptation is a in the distribution of news about the Tachinidae. If there result of evolution and every stage of ontogenesis, is sufficient interest - and submissions - over the course including the egg stage, is adapted to some specific of the next year, then another issue will appear in environmental conditions, each stage of ontogenesis February of the new millennium. As always, please send evolved more or less independently. The development of me your news for inclusion in the newsletter before the provisionary devices (coenogenetic adaptations) and their end of next January. The newsletter appears first in elaboration was one evolutionary route of ontogenesis in hardcopy and then on the WWW some weeks later the egg stage of Tachinidae (some groups of macro- (http://res.agr.ca/brd/tachinid/times/index.html). oviparous and microoviparous species). Another was the shortening and simplification of the stage, leading to the elimination of this phase of ontogenesis (Tachininae, Abstracts from the Fourth International Congress of Voriinae, Dexiinae, some groups of Exoristinae). Thus, Dipterology (by J.E. O'Hara) development of embryonic egg shells as a manifestation The Fourth International Congress of Dipterology was of specialised embryo adaptations provides protection held in Oxford, England during 6-13 September 1998. A and, as a result, stability for the early stages of section on the Tachinidae (chaired by myself) was held ontogenesis. Embryonization in the evolution of macro- during the first morning of the Congress, during which five oviparous and microoviparous Tachinidae allows further oral presentations were given by four speakers. There evolutionary improvement and simplification of those were additionally a couple of posters presented at the processes of individual development which eventually Congress on the topic of Tachinidae. Abstracts of the oral lead to maturity. Evolution of the egg stage in and poster presentations are provided below. The abstract Tachinidae is caused by phylembryogenesis of which I by Serge Gaponov is included although Serge was have observed three modes: anaboly, deviation and unfortunately unable to attend the Congress and reduction through rudimentation. Anaboly consists of the consequently did not present his scheduled talk. All of the addition of new stages to those which existed in the following abstracts were published in the Abstracts ancestors; it is conducive to further development of the Volume of the Congress, edited by J.W. Ismay. organs already possessed by the ancestors. Thus, more primitive Diptera have a three-layer chorion - in The Tachinid Times Tachinidae it undergoes the following changes: pests. Most developed of the latter are web pages on the oligomerization of plastron elements and acropylar cripts, tachinids of bertha armyworm, Mamestra configurata development of different kinds of plastron surface, Walker (Noctuidae); these pages include a list of tachinid modification of interior cavities, appearance of the species recorded from bertha armyworm, an HTML aeropylar zone. Due to anaboly the previous stage in the illustrated key to the species, and a review of the biology development of organs, the chorion in particular, of each species. becomes a palingenetic recapitulation, which results in specialization of development. In my opinion, the On a remarkable distribution of two pairs of related development of microtype eggs in Tachinidae (tribe species in Palaearctic tachinids (Tachinidae) (Oral Goniini) is connected with deviation as a restructuring of presentation by V.A. Richter) the stage which existed in their ancestors (macro- The Turkestanian-Himalayan distribution, previously oviparous Exoristini). Reduction takes place in the known in certain related species in plants, birds and evolution of eggs in Tachinidae through rudimentation, tenebrionid beetles was revealed and studied in tachinids. i.e. a slow disappearance of structures. As ovolarvipary Plesina asiatica Richter from the Hissar range (1,100 develops, eggs lose plastron structures; rudimentation of m) in Tajikistan and P. nepalensis Kugler from a locality the aeropylar cripts is manifest. Shortening and east of Katmandu in Nepal (1,800-2,000 m) form a pair simplification of the metamorphosis in the egg of of closely related species in the easternmost part of the ovolarviparous Tachinidae account for the reduction of distributional area of the genus Plesina. They have a provisionary devices resulting in partial embryonization. similar wing pattern and an additional apical bristle on The latter serves as a prerequisite of subsequent the scutellum, and inhabit relatively similar altitudes. lengthening of the postembryonic stage and development The separation of these species from the ancestral form of new devices. The variety of adult and immature- may be attributed to the increase of continentality and stages features in Tachinidae and the similarity of some aridity of climate in Middle Asia no later than the Upper of these features in tachinids from different groups can be Pliocene. explained by evolutionary parallelism (homoplasy). In The second pair of related species is distributed in the egg structure of different groups of tachinids the upper vegetation belt of the mountains. Haracca morphological parallelisms are widespread. parnassima Richter from the Chanach Pass in Chatkal range (3,300 m) and an undescribed species of the same Systematics and the World Wide Web: an information genus from Nepal (5,200 m) (H.-P. Tschorsnig, pers. system on the Tachinidae for the 21st Century (Oral comm.) are dwellers of the subnival belt. The host of H. presentation by J.E. O'Hara) parnassima, Parnassius delphius Eversm., feeds on Systematists in the agricultural sector are increasingly Corydalis, in the type locality solely on C. fedtschen- encouraged to deliver the products of their labour in a koana, which grows on screes together with other form comprehensible to applied entomologists. This is cryophytes. The second species of Haracca also inhabits the essence of technology transfer. Two of the major the subnival belt and may also parasitise larvae of impediments to the delivery of systematic information to Parnassius, several species of which are known from the applied entomologists have been format and access. For Himalaya. The age of the ancestral form of this pair of many potential users of systematic information, species may be Upper Pliocene - Lower Pleistocene, the systematic revisions in specialised journals have not time of closing of the subnival belts of Middle Asian satisfied their needs in terms of format and access. The mountains and the Himalaya. The separation of extant World Wide Web now provides access to an species of Haracca should be attributed to their unprecedented degree and the challenge remaining for geographic isolation beginning in the Middle or Upper systematics is to deliver appropriate products. A suite of Pleistocene. such products is being developed for the North American The two variants of distribution of related species in Tachinidae. A Tachinidae homepage is located on the tachinids differing in their age and elevational website of the study "Identification Systems for distribution illuminate certain significant events in the Biocontrol Insects" at http://res.agr.ca/ecorc/isbi/dipt/ history of the faunas of Middle Asian mountains and the tachhom.htm. This homepage links the user to a brief Himalaya and show evidence of their affinity. overview of the Tachinidae, the newsletter "Tachinid Times", a tachinid bibliography, tachinid primary types of the Canadian National Collection of Insects, and a series of web pages on the Tachinidae of selected insect Page 2 Issue 12, February 1999 The Tachinid Times Problems of the systematic treatment of Carcelia pedicel with two large opposed or crossed setulae; slit- Robineau-Desvoidy and related genera (Tachinidae) (Oral like opening posteroapically of distiphallus semi- presentation by H. Shima) sclerotised; female sternum 8 bare; first instar larvae with The genus Carcelia Robineau-Desvoidy and related narrowed labrum. genera as here defined are characterised by the very large and hairy eyes in comparison to other genera of the tribe On the difference in the period of flight between males Carceliini sensu Crosskey (1976). They are named as and females of Tachinidae (Oral presentation by T. follows, and some of them