Mora R, Hanson P E
Universidad de Costa Rica, Centro de Investigación en Biología Celular y Molecular, Ciudad de la Investigación Postal, San Pedro de Montes de Oca, SJ, Costa Rica.
Universidad de Costa Rica, Escuela de Biología, Apartado Postal, San Pedro de Montes de Oca, SJ, Costa Rica.
J Insect Sci. 2019 Mar 1;19(2). doi: 10.1093/jisesa/iez021.
Certain color patterns in insects show convergent evolution reflecting potentially important biological functions, for example, aposematism and mimicry. This phenomenon has been most frequently documented in Lepidoptera and Coleoptera, but has been less well investigated in Hymenoptera. It has long been recognized that many hymenopterans, especially scelionids (Platygastridae), show a recurring pattern of black head, orange/red mesosoma, and black metasoma (BOB coloration). However, the taxonomic distribution of this striking color pattern has never been documented across the entire order. The main objective of our research was to provide a preliminary tabulation of this color pattern in Hymenoptera, through examination of museum specimens and relevant literature. We included 11 variations of the typical BOB color pattern but did not include all possible variations. These color patterns were found in species belonging to 23 families of Hymenoptera, and was most frequently observed in scelionids, evaniids, and mutillids, but was relatively infrequent in Cynipoids, Diaprioids, Chalcidoids, and Apoids. The widespread occurrence of this color pattern in Hymenoptera strongly suggests convergent evolution and a potentially important function. The BOB color pattern was found in species from all biogeographic regions and within a species it was usually present in both sexes (with a few notable exceptions). In better studied tropical regions, such as Costa Rica, this color pattern was more common in species occurring at lower elevations (below 2,000 m). The biology of the tabulated taxa encompasses both ecto- and endoparasitoids, idiobionts and koinobionts, from a diversity of hosts, as well as phytophagous sawflies.
昆虫的某些颜色模式呈现出趋同进化，反映出潜在的重要生物学功能，例如警戒色和拟态。这种现象在鳞翅目和鞘翅目中记录最为频繁，但在膜翅目中的研究较少。长期以来人们已经认识到，许多膜翅目昆虫，尤其是缘腹细蜂科（广腹细蜂科），呈现出黑头、橙色/红色中躯和黑色后躯的反复出现的模式（BOB 体色）。然而，这种显著颜色模式在整个目内的分类分布从未被记录过。我们研究的主要目的是通过检查博物馆标本和相关文献，对膜翅目中这种颜色模式进行初步列表统计。我们纳入了典型 BOB 颜色模式的 11 种变体，但未包括所有可能的变体。这些颜色模式在膜翅目 23 个科的物种中被发现，在缘腹细蜂科、蚁形蜂科和蚁蜂科中最常观察到，但在瘿蜂类、姬蜂类、小蜂类和蜜蜂类中相对较少见。这种颜色模式在膜翅目中广泛存在，强烈表明存在趋同进化和潜在的重要功能。BOB 颜色模式在所有生物地理区域的物种中都有发现，并且在一个物种中通常两性都有（有一些明显的例外）。在研究较好的热带地区，如哥斯达黎加，这种颜色模式在海拔较低（低于 2000 米）的物种中更为常见。列表中的分类单元的生物学特性包括来自多种宿主的外寄生和内寄生蜂、静止型寄生蜂和生长发育型寄生蜂，以及植食性叶蜂。
