Jess Awad
@parasitoidrex.bsky.social
Entomologist specializing in parasitoid wasps and dark taxa. Leiden, Netherlands.
No problem! The 2 genera are very similar. This is Synopeas. You can tell by: 1) Ventral pronotal pit present (see pic); 2) T1 very short, fused with T2, usually covered in setae; 3) Fore wing marginal setae very short (they are long in Leptacis, at least in Europe)
September 24, 2025 at 4:13 PM
No problem! The 2 genera are very similar. This is Synopeas. You can tell by: 1) Ventral pronotal pit present (see pic); 2) T1 very short, fused with T2, usually covered in setae; 3) Fore wing marginal setae very short (they are long in Leptacis, at least in Europe)
She is my favorite too, made of mammoth ivory and discovered not too far from where I did my doctorate! This cast of her is one of my most treasured possessions.
September 16, 2025 at 12:22 PM
She is my favorite too, made of mammoth ivory and discovered not too far from where I did my doctorate! This cast of her is one of my most treasured possessions.
I'm a bit sad to be leaving Berlin, but happy that I visited and learned so much! Thanks to @rudolf-meier.bsky.social and the Center for Integrative Biodiversity Discovery for having me. I hope I can return someday soon!
September 9, 2025 at 12:53 PM
I'm a bit sad to be leaving Berlin, but happy that I visited and learned so much! Thanks to @rudolf-meier.bsky.social and the Center for Integrative Biodiversity Discovery for having me. I hope I can return someday soon!
I'm in Berlin and this is on the home shopping channel.
September 7, 2025 at 3:19 AM
I'm in Berlin and this is on the home shopping channel.
The newly described species is, as far as we can tell, ALL FEMALE. Wolbachia was detected in some specimens, which could be a factor in parthenogenesis, but more research is needed. This system has lots to teach us about parasitoid biology. And it's great news for soybean production as well!
August 25, 2025 at 2:08 PM
The newly described species is, as far as we can tell, ALL FEMALE. Wolbachia was detected in some specimens, which could be a factor in parthenogenesis, but more research is needed. This system has lots to teach us about parasitoid biology. And it's great news for soybean production as well!
Through integrative taxonomy, we were able to match the mystery wasp to a species name: Synopeas ruficoxum. This name belonged to a single specimen, collected in Canada by Swedes in 2005 and deposited in the Natural History Museum of Denmark in Copenhagen.
August 25, 2025 at 1:57 PM
Through integrative taxonomy, we were able to match the mystery wasp to a species name: Synopeas ruficoxum. This name belonged to a single specimen, collected in Canada by Swedes in 2005 and deposited in the Natural History Museum of Denmark in Copenhagen.
At the same time, the team in Minnesota found DNA barcode matches with a couple of unidentified Synopeas species from Guelph and Montreal, Canada.
August 25, 2025 at 1:53 PM
At the same time, the team in Minnesota found DNA barcode matches with a couple of unidentified Synopeas species from Guelph and Montreal, Canada.
Luckily this species has a somewhat unusual feature - the elongate metasoma. This allowed us to narrow down the number of possible matches from around 400 described species to 34. We called this the "craterum-group" after the first Synopeas species to be described with this character.
August 25, 2025 at 1:49 PM
Luckily this species has a somewhat unusual feature - the elongate metasoma. This allowed us to narrow down the number of possible matches from around 400 described species to 34. We called this the "craterum-group" after the first Synopeas species to be described with this character.
Identifying this species was really difficult due to the “superficial species impediment”. Most platygastrid species have no DNA and are superficially described, so identification requires comparison to the original type material. (This is why taxonomists are always publishing type catalogues.)
August 25, 2025 at 1:46 PM
Identifying this species was really difficult due to the “superficial species impediment”. Most platygastrid species have no DNA and are superficially described, so identification requires comparison to the original type material. (This is why taxonomists are always publishing type catalogues.)
In 2023, we reported a new species, Synopeas maximum, parasitising the recently discovered soybean gall midge in Minnesota. But then researchers found yet another Synopeas species attacking the midge in Nebraska - with apparently higher parasitism rates!
dx.doi.org/10.3897/jhr....
dx.doi.org/10.3897/jhr....
August 25, 2025 at 1:39 PM
In 2023, we reported a new species, Synopeas maximum, parasitising the recently discovered soybean gall midge in Minnesota. But then researchers found yet another Synopeas species attacking the midge in Nebraska - with apparently higher parasitism rates!
dx.doi.org/10.3897/jhr....
dx.doi.org/10.3897/jhr....
Just published! A new discovery in biological pest control: Synopeas ruficoxum, a natural enemy of the soybean gall midge in North America. 🧪🧵 doi.org/10.3897/jhr....
August 25, 2025 at 1:36 PM
Just published! A new discovery in biological pest control: Synopeas ruficoxum, a natural enemy of the soybean gall midge in North America. 🧪🧵 doi.org/10.3897/jhr....
Day 2 of the International Branch Virtual Symposium is all about Education & Outreach! So many fascinating talks - for example, Rosa Burgos-Chaidez (INAH Mexico) teaches conservators to protect cultural heritage from insect damage. @fitentsocamerica.bsky.social @entsocamerica.bsky.social
April 8, 2025 at 6:41 PM
Day 2 of the International Branch Virtual Symposium is all about Education & Outreach! So many fascinating talks - for example, Rosa Burgos-Chaidez (INAH Mexico) teaches conservators to protect cultural heritage from insect damage. @fitentsocamerica.bsky.social @entsocamerica.bsky.social
Tweehonderd dagen nederlands! Hatze flats!
April 8, 2025 at 9:01 AM
Tweehonderd dagen nederlands! Hatze flats!
Can #biodiversity really help us improve food production? Kris Wyckhuys introduces the special session "Ecosystem Services and Integrative Systems in Agriculture" at the @entsocamerica.bsky.social International Branch Virtual Symposium. I'm learning so much already!
April 7, 2025 at 6:43 PM
Can #biodiversity really help us improve food production? Kris Wyckhuys introduces the special session "Ecosystem Services and Integrative Systems in Agriculture" at the @entsocamerica.bsky.social International Branch Virtual Symposium. I'm learning so much already!
Good morning from Leiden!
March 31, 2025 at 8:57 AM
Good morning from Leiden!
The biggest surprise: Platygaster demades. This European wasp attacks pests of pear and apple (Rosaceae). We reared it from midges on Filipendula (also Rosaceae). It was deliberately introduced to New Zealand, but its origins in Canada were thought to be accidental...
February 12, 2025 at 11:19 PM
The biggest surprise: Platygaster demades. This European wasp attacks pests of pear and apple (Rosaceae). We reared it from midges on Filipendula (also Rosaceae). It was deliberately introduced to New Zealand, but its origins in Canada were thought to be accidental...
Two more Synopeas were identified as S. gibberosum and S. rhanis. As far as we can tell, these appear to specialize on galls of Dasineura ulmaria and D. urticae, respectively. A similar species, S. maximum, attacks soybean gall midge in the USA! doi.org/10.3897/jhr....
February 12, 2025 at 11:14 PM
Two more Synopeas were identified as S. gibberosum and S. rhanis. As far as we can tell, these appear to specialize on galls of Dasineura ulmaria and D. urticae, respectively. A similar species, S. maximum, attacks soybean gall midge in the USA! doi.org/10.3897/jhr....
Through rearing efforts led by SMNS intern Ronja Reinisch, combined with integrative taxonomy, we found five species of Platygastrinae! Two could only be identified to genus: one Amblyaspis, and one Synopeas. The Synopeas attacks free-living fungivorous midge larvae (Mycodiplosis sp.)
February 12, 2025 at 11:09 PM
Through rearing efforts led by SMNS intern Ronja Reinisch, combined with integrative taxonomy, we found five species of Platygastrinae! Two could only be identified to genus: one Amblyaspis, and one Synopeas. The Synopeas attacks free-living fungivorous midge larvae (Mycodiplosis sp.)
How does host specialization work in these diverse lineages? Can platygastrine wasps attack multiple host species? Are there host plant effects? How can we be certain that a parasitoid is a specialist? What does this mean for biological control?
February 12, 2025 at 11:05 PM
How does host specialization work in these diverse lineages? Can platygastrine wasps attack multiple host species? Are there host plant effects? How can we be certain that a parasitoid is a specialist? What does this mean for biological control?
It was very foggy in Gainesville this morning.
February 9, 2025 at 4:43 AM
It was very foggy in Gainesville this morning.
This is all I can show for now, but there will be lots of beautiful pictures in the publication!
January 23, 2025 at 2:25 PM
This is all I can show for now, but there will be lots of beautiful pictures in the publication!
100 dagen Nederlands leren!
December 21, 2024 at 4:34 PM
100 dagen Nederlands leren!
Submissions are open for @entsocamerica.bsky.social International Branch #conference in April! Deadline for #grants Jan 15, for papers and posters Feb 14. I'll be presenting on my favorite genus, Synopeas, and how it's a soybean superhero! entsoc.org/membership/b...
December 11, 2024 at 1:46 PM
Submissions are open for @entsocamerica.bsky.social International Branch #conference in April! Deadline for #grants Jan 15, for papers and posters Feb 14. I'll be presenting on my favorite genus, Synopeas, and how it's a soybean superhero! entsoc.org/membership/b...
Congratulations to the student competition winners, and thanks to all of the fantastic speakers! #Hymathon2024
December 6, 2024 at 4:32 PM
Congratulations to the student competition winners, and thanks to all of the fantastic speakers! #Hymathon2024