For my master's thesis, I plan to do a comparitive study of the subfamily composition of parasitic ichneumonid (Hymenoptera: Ichneumonidae) wasps along an elevational and moisture gradient in the ACG (Guanacaste Conservation Area), Costa Rica.

For this study we have a total of six Malaise traps set up in three different areas of the ACG. The first two traps are in the dry, low-elevation site of Santa Rosa. The second pair of traps are in the moist, mid-elevation site of Los Almendros. The last pair of traps are in the wet, higher-elevation site of San Cristobal. All of the traps have been running (collecting) since June 30, 1997. Samples from these traps are collected on a weekly basis. These samples will all be sorted, and the parasitic wasps from family Ichneumonidae will all be identified to subfamily. Those wasps of subfamily Pimplinae will all be identified to species.

I hope to address the following questions/objectives in my study:

1. A comparison of the composition of the subfamilies, both in number of subfamilies present and number of specimens from each subfamily, among all three of the sites. What differences (if any) will be seen along this gradient?

2. A comparison of the species composition of the Pimplinae across the gradient.

3. A baseline inventory of the species of Pimplinae present in the ACG at each of the sites. Currently, none of the sites involved in the study have a comprehensive listing of all of the species present at the site.

4. A comparison of the beta diversity of Pimplinae between ACG, Costa Rica and Barro Colorado Island, Panama. The species list for Barro Colorado Island exists from an earlier study (Bartlett 1997), and the species list from ACG will be compared with this.

References:

Bartlett, R.P. 1997. Diversity, Phenology, and Sex Ratio of Pimplinae (Hymenoptera: Ichneumonidae) on Barro Colorado Island, Panama. Univ. of Georgia: Athens. 67 pp.