Social insects communicate by using chemical, visual, tactile, and acoustic signals, including stridulations. Ectatomma ruidum is a mainly Neotropical ant species complex that has faced strong divergence at the genetic level; the species have a highly variable blend of cuticular hydrocarbons and a relatively conserved morphology. Based on evidence for genetic and chemical differentiation, we tested for variation in acoustic traits. We compared the stridulations produced by the species E. ruidum sp. 2, sp. 3–4 and the new putative species E. ruidum sp. 5, as well as the morphology of the stridulatory file. We found that the stridulations produced by E. ruidum sp. 5 were statistically different from those of the other species in a number of traits. The differences in stridulatory traits might rely more on the way the ants produce the sound (rubbed area percentages) than on the morphology of the stridulatory file, for which we did not find variation. Our results highlight the use of acoustic traits as potential taxonomic tools for integrative taxonomic studies and suggest that the acoustic traits of E. ruidum species complex have been subjected to selection.

Bacterial symbionts play an important role in insect survival by contributing to key metabolic and defensive functions. While stingless bees are known to harbor diverse microbial communities, their core bacterial symbionts remain poorly characterized. In this study, we analyzed the gut microbiota of sixteen stingless bee species collected from different regions of Mexico using 16S rRNA gene sequencing on the Illumina^® MiSeq™ platform. Our results revealed that Proteobacteria, Firmicutes, and Actinobacteria are the most abundant bacterial phyla across species. Among the dominant genera, lactic acid bacteria, such as Lactobacillus spp., Bifidobacterium, and Fructobacillus spp., were the most prevalent. These bacteria are responsible for developing biochemical functions in metabolic processes like lactic fermentation and the biotransformation of complex organic compounds into molecules that are more easily assimilated by bees. This study offers a novel perspective on the diversity and predicted composition of gut microbiota in Mexican stingless bees. By highlighting differences in microbial communities among species with different feeding habits, our results emphasize the importance of preserving microbial biodiversity in these pollinators.

Bacterial symbionts in insects constitute a key factor for the survival of the host due to the benefits they provide. Parasitoid wasps are closely associated with viruses, bacteria, and fungi. However, the primary symbionts and their functions are not yet known. This study was undertaken to determine the gut microbiota of six species of the Telenomus genus: T. alecto (Crawford), T. sulculus Johnson, T. fariai Costa Lima, T. remus Nixon, T. podisi Ashmead, and T. lobatus Johnson & Bin. Wasp parasitoids were collected from their hosts in different locations in Mexico. DNA was extracted from gut collection, and sequencing of bacterial 16S rRNA was carried out in Illumina^® MiSeq™. Among the six species of wasps, results showed that the most abundant phylum were Proteobacteria (82.3%), Actinobacteria (8.1%), and Firmicutes (7.8%). The most important genera were Delftia and Enterobacter. Seventeen bacteria species were found to be shared among the six species of wasps. The associate microbiota will help to understand the physiology of Telenomus to promote the use of these wasp parasitoids in the management of insect pests and as potential biomarkers to target new strategies to control pests.

La Colección de Insectos Benéficos y Entomófagos, CIBE, es una colección entomológica que se encuentra en la Facultad de Ciencias Biológicas (FCB) de la Universidad Autónoma de Nuevo León (UANL) y que se especializa en avispas parasitoides (orden Hymenoptera). Esta colección alberga 105,000 ejemplares de las superfamilias Ceraphronoidea, Chalcidoidea, Cynipoidea, Evanoidea, Ichnemonoidea, Megalyroidea, Mymarommatoidea, Platygastroidea, Proctotrupoidea, Stephanoidea y Trigonalyoidea. Entre las familias mejor representadas se encuentran Braconidae con 123 géneros y 23 especies, Ichneumonidae con 52 géneros y 59 especies, Encyrtidae con 100 géneros y 29 especies y Eulophidae con 53 géneros y 65 especies. En CIBE existen diez paratipos de las especies: Triaspis eugenii Wharton & López-Martínez 2000, Retusigaster albopilosus 2003 Mercado, Retusigaster noguerai 2003 Mercado (Braconidae), Itoplectis gonzalezi Kasparyan 2007, Itoplectis nigrithorax Kaparyan 2007, Itoplectis specularis Kasparyan 2007, Iseropus hylesiae Kasparyan 2006 (Ichneumonidae), Aranobroter rayorae LaSalle 1990, Baryscapus uetzi LaSalle 1990 (Eulophidae) y Spalangia imitator Gibson 2009 (Pteromalidae).

Parasitic wasps of the genus Tamarixia represent important biological control agents of members of the Psylloidea group and are host specific; therefore, they can be delivery used to control insect pests. In this study we report for the first time the parasitoid Tamarixia dahlsteni in Mexico and its mitochondrial barcode region of the cytochrome oxidase 1 gene (CO1). We also reviewed the species diversity of the genus Tamarixia in Mexico.