Mika Cameron
Major Professor: Robert Wharton
M.S. Candidate
"A Morphological Evaluation of the Sub-Apical Dorsal Notch of the Ovipositor in Ichneumonidae (Hymenoptera)."
Ichneumonidae is the most speciose family within Hymenoptera. The incredible diversity of ichneumonids is reflected in the many differentlifestyles and associated morphological characters. The Ophioniformes is a grouping of ichneumonid subfamilies defined in part by the presence of a sub-apical dorsal notch located on the ovipositor. The validity of this character is questionable due to inconsistencies both within and outside of the Ophioniformes. This putative synapomorphy, presence of a sub-apical dorsal notch, is not present in all members of the subfamilies that comprise Ophioniformes, but it is present in at least a few ichneumonids that are not currently classified as Ophioniformes. This problem is illustrated by a morphological comparison ofspecies from two selected subfamilies: Ctenopelmatinae and Diplazontinae; Ctenopelmatinae are members of the Ophioniformes whereas Diplazontinae are not.