Rosichon Ubaidillah

Taxonomy of eusocial wasps (Polistinae and Vespinae) occurring in Sulawesi Island, the central island of Wallacea, is reviewed. Sixteen (12 polistine and four vespine) species are recognized. Polistes (Polistella) stigma, known to be widely distributed in southern Asia and Australasia, is newly recorded for Sulawesi Island. A key to the Sulawesian eusocial wasp species is provided. Their biogeographical characteristics are discussed to show that the Sulawesian eusocial wasp fauna is composed of Oriental elements.

A study of the eulophid wasp subfamily Eulophinae was carried outbetween 2004-2006 in Java and the adjacent small islands (e.g. Bali, Madura,Nusa Barong, Sempu, Nusakambangan and Krakataus) to determine theEulophinae fauna of Java. As a result, 23 genera and 86 species, belonging tothe subfamily Eulophinae were found, from those 11 genera and 35 species arenew record for Java and Indonesia. Key to genera, generic diagnostic and theavailable eulophine species to the islands are presented.

Twenty species and six subspecies of nine genera of eumenine wasps with a petiolate metasoma occurring in the Lesser Sunda Islands are listed. New synonymies are proposed for Delta campaniforme campaniforme (Fabricius 1775) (=D. campaniforme gracilior Giordani Soika 1986, syn. nov.) and D. nigriculum Giordani Soika 1986, stat. nov. (=D. campaniforme rendalloide Giordani Soika 1993, syn. nov.). Eumenes piriformis de Saussure and E. inconspicuus Smith are newly recorded from the Lesser Sunda Islands; E. pius Giordani Soika, D. nigriculum Giordani Soika, D. pyriforme (Fabricius), D. sciarum (van der Vecht), Pareumenes nigerrimus van der Vecht, and Labus vandervechti Giordani Soika, are newly recorded from some islands of the Lesser Sunda. Hitherto unknown male of P. nigerrimus is described.

Many scientific disciplines rely on correct taxon delineations and identifications. So does a great part of the general public as well as decision makers. Researchers, students and enthusiastic amateurs often feel frustrated because information about species remains scattered, difficult to access, or difficult to decipher. Together, this affects almost anyone who wishes to identify species or verify identifications. Many remedies have been proposed, but we argue that the role of natural history collections remains insufficiently appreciated. We suggest using state-of-the-art mass imaging technology and to join forces to create a global natural history metacollection on the internet, providing access to the morphology of tens of millions of specimens and making them available for automated digital image analysis.

Non-pollinating Sycophaginae (Hymenoptera, Chalcidoidea) form small communities within Urostigma and Sycomorus fig trees. The species show differences in galling habits and exhibit apterous, winged or dimorphic males. The large gall inducers oviposit early in syconium development and lay few eggs; the small gall inducers lay more eggs soon after pollination; the ostiolar gall-inducers enter the syconium to oviposit and the cleptoparasites oviposit in galls induced by other fig wasps. The systematics of the group remains unclear and only one phylogeny based on limited sampling has been published to date. Here we present an expanded phylogeny for sycophagine fig wasps including about 1.5 times the number of described species. We sequenced mitochondrial and nuclear markers (4.2 kb) on 73 species and 145 individuals and conducted maximum likelihood and Bayesian phylogenetic analyses. We then used this phylogeny to reconstruct the evolution of Sycophaginae life-history strategies and test if the presence of winged males and small brood size may be correlated.

Two new species of the parasitoid wasp genus Trichospilus (Chalcidoidea: Eulophidae: Eulophinae) are described from Java and Sulawesi, Indonesia. A key to all species of Trichospilus worldwide is provided.

The parasitic wasp genus Alophomorphella Girault, 1913 is reviewed based mainly on specimens collected in Indonesia, and three new species, A. boneia Ubaidillah, sp. nov., A. marosia Ubaidillah, sp. nov., and A. infaceta Ubaidillah, sp. nov., are described. These species represent the first records of the genus from Indonesia.

Oxycantha darwini Surekha & Ubaidillah, a new genus and species of Eulophinae (Hymenoptera: Eulophidae) from Brunei, is described and illustrated.