D3489: New species and host records of Stylops (Strepsiptera: Stylopidae) that parasitize mining bees in the genus Andrena in the United States

The genus Stylops is a group of strepsipterans that are parasites on bees in the genus Andrena (Andrenidae). Globally there are 107 known species of Stylops with 35 known in the United States. Their host Andrena is estimated to have 2,000 species with about 500 occurring in the United States. The majority of Stylops species parasitize specific hosts or multiple closely related hosts, but there are exceptions with some being generalists. However, there has been very little research conducted recently on this genus with many species awaiting discovery and additional specimens awaiting to be uncovered. Here we show that there are indeed new species to be discovered and what morphological features to look for when identifying female Stylops. We discovered and described 3 new species Stylops piercei n. sp., Stylops boharti n.sp,and Stylops pascarellai n.sp. Additionally we documented new host and distribution records for Stylops species. Furthermore, we verified previously synonymized species showing that there can be large variation in size within the same species. Our results demonstrate how there is very little truly known about this unique genus of parasitic insects, with many species left to be discovered. Continuing to discover and describe the biodiversity on Earth is very important, having the potential to lead to many additional discoveries within ecology and evolutionary biology.