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Abstract
Chrysididae is a diverse group of parasitoid/cleptoparasitic wasps; however, host–parasite relationships and life cycles of few species have been studied. Nests of different wasp and bee species were obtained during a trap-nesting programme, in the Pampean region. Some of these nests were parasitised by cuckoo wasps females of Caenochrysis taschenbergi (Mocsáry), Chrysis boutheryi (Brèthes), C. saltana Bohart, C. sp. 1 (ignita-group), C. sp. 2 (ignita-group), Neochrysis lecointei (Ducke), Pleurochrysis ancilla (Buysson) and P. lynchi (Bréthes). This paper reports new data about host–parasite relationships and life cycles for these species. Multiple parasites (from one species or from different families of insects) emerged from single cells of some parasitised nests: from each host cell parasitised by species of Pleurochrysis, two adults emerged successfully, information previously unknown for the genus; and in three cases of cells parasitised by C. boutheryi, two adults successfully emerged from a single cell; in two cases both individuals were chrysidine, and in third one was chrysidine and one Leucospis pulchripes (Leucospidae).
Acknowledgements
My thanks to the families Rúgolo de Agrasar (Ea. Anquilóo, Toay) and Pérez (Campo El Pono, Colonia Elía) for permission to conduct this study, H.J. Marrero for his help in the field, A. Roig Alsina for collaboration in the determination of Chrysididae, and A. Torretta and R. Saurral for helping with the English revision. The manuscript benefited from critical reading by Arturo Roig Alsina and Villu Soon, and three anonymous reviewers. Field work was supported by Agencia Nacional de Promoción Científica y Tecnológica (Proyecto de Investigación Científica y Tecnológica 08–12504 and 0851), Argentina. JPT is affiliated with Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas.