Cryptic Diversity in the Aphid-Parasitizing Wasp (Hymenoptera: Braconidae): Discovery of Two Attendant-Ant-Specific mtDNA Lineages.

The parasitoid wasp parasitizes the aphid , which is obligatorily attended by several species of ants of genus . Subgenus or ants use different defense strategies to protect the aphids that they attend (, shelter building; , aggressive attack). We performed molecular phylogenetic analysis based on partial mitochondrial DNA sequences of and found that the parasitoid wasp consists of two highly differentiated genetic lineages. Although these two lineages distributed sympatrically, one tends to parasitize aphids attended by ants of subgenus , and the other parasitizes aphids attended by ants of subgenus . The two lineages of appear to exhibit different oviposition behaviors adapted to the different aphid-protection strategies of the two ant subgenera.