title: Wolbachia Infections Responsible for Thelytoky in Dryinid Wasps. The Case of Gonatopus bonaerensis Virla (Hymenoptera: Dryinidae).
abstract: We studied the occurrence of Wolbachia in the parasitoid Gonatopus bonaerensis Virla (Hymenoptera: Dryinidae). In order to verify the existence of natural infections in the parasitoid, a field survey was conducted. Identification of Wolbachia was performed on the basis of 16S rDNA, wsp_F1, and wsp_R1-sequences. After the detection of the bacteria, infected specimens of G. bonaerensis were treated with a solution of tetracycline. In Tucumán, parasitoids hold Wolbachia endosymbiont, which seems to control the wasp's reproduction in the nature turning it into thelytokous. The symbiont was identified as the Wolbachia sp. wRi strain. The cure of infected unfertilized females determined the normal arrhenotokous parthenogenesis and the production of male offspring. As a consequence of this procedure, the male of G. bonaerensis is described for the first time.
authors.affiliation: Univ Nacional de Chilecito (UNDEC), Chilecito, La Rioja, Argentina.
authors.forename: M S
authors.initials: MS
authors.lastname: Espinosa
authors.affiliation: Instituto de Entomología, Fund. M. Lillo, Miguel Lillo 251, 4000, San Miguel de Tucumán, Argentina. egvirla@lillo.org.ar.|PROIMI- Biotecnología - CONICET, San Miguel de Tucumán, Argentina. egvirla@lillo.org.ar.
authors.forename: E G
authors.initials: EG
authors.lastname: Virla
authors.affiliation: PROIMI- Biotecnología - CONICET, San Miguel de Tucumán, Argentina.|Facultad de Cs. Naturales e Inst. M. Lillo, Univ. Nac. de Tucumán, San Miguel de Tucumán, Argentina.
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Cuozzo
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D005260:Female; D008297:Male; D010312:Parthenogenesis; D012098:Reproduction; D014863:Wasps / Q000382:microbiology*; D020577:Wolbachia / Q000235:genetics / Q000472:pathogenicity
keywords: Parasitoids; antibiotic treatment; endosymbionts; males; reproduction; wRi strain