Integrating phylogenomics, fossils, and biogeography to interpret the evolution of the Amiseginae cuckoo wasps in time and space (Hymenoptera: Chrysididae)

• Grant number: 24/19160-2
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships abroad - Research Internship - Post-doctor
• Start date: March 01, 2025
• End date: February 28, 2026
• Field of knowledge: Biological Sciences - Zoology - Taxonomy of Recent Groups
• Principal Investigator: Fernando Barbosa Noll
• Grantee: Daercio Adam de Araújo Lucena
• Supervisor: Sean Gary Brady
• Host Institution: Instituto de Biociências, Letras e Ciências Exatas (IBILCE). Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP). Campus de São José do Rio Preto. São José do Rio Preto , SP, Brazil
• Institution abroad: Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History, United States
• Associated to the scholarship: 22/00251-2 - Evolutionary history of the parasitoidism of Cuckoo Wasps (Chrysididae: Amiseginae) on Walking Stick eggs (Phasmatodea): a multidisciplinary approach integrating morphology, fossils and DNA, BP.PD

Abstract

Cuckoo wasps of the subfamily Amiseginae constitute a puzzling and species-rich group of aculeate parasitoid wasps. Their hosts include several groups of Phasmatodea (stick insects), whose eggs are consumed by the adult female and larvae. Despite recent advances, phylogenetic relationships among extant genera of Amiseginae remain largely unresolved. The main objective of this BEPE internship project is to promote advances in the systematics of Amiseginae based on the most extensive phylogenetic investigation of the group using phylogenomic and morphological datasets. During this proposed twelve-months internship at the Smithsonian Institution, Washington, DC (USA), a molecular dataset using Ultraconserved Elements (UCEs) will be assembled in collaboration with the research team led by Dr. Seán G. Brady. This research will represent the first attempt to integrate a comparative morphological study with a massive molecular analysis for representatives of the Amiseginae. The National Museum of Natural History offers the best environment for this study in terms of infrastructure, technology, and expertise on the methods to be implemented. Similarly, it holds one of the best entomological collections of Hymenoptera in the world, which will guarantee a comprehensive taxon sampling of the targeted group. This research will enable a broader and more refined understanding of the morphology and taxonomy of several taxa, and it will be also a fundamental step towards a better comprehension on the historical biogeography and systematics of the group grounded on integration of diverse kinds of evidence.