Diversity of parasitoid wasps associated with fungivorus insect and resolving the relationships among parasitoid wasps, hosts and fungi

2020 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 17K15185
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Young Scientists (B)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Research Field: Biodiversity/Systematics
• Research Institution: Kanagawa Prefectural Museum of Natural History
• Principal Investigator: Watanabe Kyohei 神奈川県立生命の星・地球博物館, 学芸部, 主任学芸員 (70710474)
• Project Period (FY): 2017-04-01 – 2021-03-31
• Keywords: 分類学 / 昆虫学 / 寄生蜂 / ヒメバチ / キノコバエ / 生物多様性 / 日本 / 天敵

Outline of Final Research Achievements

The diversity of parasitoid wasps associated with fungivorus insect was studied. I mainly studied subfamily Orthocentrinae, family Ichneumonidae taxonomically, which associated with fungus gnats. Although total of five genera and five species of them were recorded from Japan in 2017, 14 genera and 26 species added to Japanese fauna by this study. I also studied the parasitoid wasps of serious pests of Shiitake mushroom, Neoempheria with entomologists of Forest Research and Management Organization. Two important parasitoids, Orthocentrus brachycerus Humala & Lee, 2020 and Symplecis bicingulata (Gravenhorst, 1829), were recognized and their distribution and bionomics were also recorded.

Free Research Field

昆虫分類学

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

国内における知見が極めて貧弱であった菌食性昆虫の天敵寄生蜂の分類学的研究により、ハエヒメバチ亜科のヒメバチを中心に知見が増大した。種名が判明し、参照標本が博物館に蓄積されたことにより、今後この類の分類学的研究を行う上での土台が築かれた。研究計画段階での予想通り、有用食用きのこであるシイタケの害虫に寄生し、個体数を抑制する天敵種も国内から発見され、菌食性昆虫の天敵寄生蜂がきのこ類の栽培においても有用である可能性が裏付けられた。本研究の成果は自然科学への貢献だけでなく、農学や林学の観点からも社会に貢献できたものと思われる。