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Historical Note on the Genus Trichogramma (Hymenoptera, Trichogrammatidae) in Brazil, Focusing on Taxonomy and Diversity

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Abstract

The history of the taxonomy of Trichogramma parasitoid wasps can be divided into two phases. In the first phase, species identifications were based on external morphological characters; however, these identifications proved to be confusing and inaccurate. In the second phase, starting in the 1970s, taxa were identified based on charcteristics of the male genital capsule , leading to a major advance in Trichogramma taxonomy. The history of Trichogramma taxonomy in Brazil is recent and mainly related to species that parasitize agricultural pests. In Brazil, the first phase of Trichogramma taxonomy occurred in the 1960s, while the second phase occurred from the 1980s onward. In this second phase, Trichogramma taxonomy progressed significantly and knowledge of Trichogramma diversity as well as associations with lepidopteran pests improved markedly in Brazil as well as worldwide. The last five decades have seen significant progress in studies in Brazil, with taxonomy evolving from identifications based exclusively on morphological characters to integrative taxonomy, encompassing biology (crosses) and morphometry. This historical outline presents the phases of Trichogramma taxonomy in Brazil, addressing the hurdles encountered in the first descriptions, erroneous records of the species, and species descriptions since the 1980s. We highlight the importance of accurately identifying Trichogramma taxa for their use in biological control, as well as species diversity and associations with lepidopteran hosts.

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Acknowledgements

We thank National Council for Scientifc and Technological Development (CNPq); RAZ is a fellow of CNPq.

Funding

The authors thank Fundação de Apoio à Pesquisa do Distrito Federal (Proc. no. 435/2022) for the support for one of the authors (RBQ).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Depto de Entomologia e Acarologia, Escola Superior de Agricultura “Luiz de Queiroz” (ESALQ), Univ de São Paulo (USP), Piracicaba, São Paulo, Brazil

    Roberto Antonio Zucchi

  2. Empresa Brasileira de Pesquisa Agropecuária, Embrapa Cerrados, Planaltina, Distrito Federal, Brazil

    Ranyse Barbosa Querino

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  1. Roberto Antonio Zucchi
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  2. Ranyse Barbosa Querino
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All authors contributed to the conceptualization of the article. RAZ drafted the first version of the manuscript, and RAZ and RBQ critically revised the text. All authors read and approved the final manuscript.

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Correspondence to Roberto Antonio Zucchi or Ranyse Barbosa Querino.

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Zucchi, R.A., Querino, R.B. Historical Note on the Genus Trichogramma (Hymenoptera, Trichogrammatidae) in Brazil, Focusing on Taxonomy and Diversity. Neotrop Entomol 53, 773–785 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s13744-024-01162-5

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