Lissonota is one of the largest genera of parasitic wasps in Europe, with an estimated number of species approaching 200. They parasitize various butterflies whose larvae live concealed within rolled leaves, seed capsules, wood, or wood fungi. Notable hosts include glasswings, bagworms, noctuid moths, tigers, and tortrix moths.
These colorful wasps are relatively large (5–15 mm) and are primarily encountered during the emergence of their hosts, in window traps, or when visiting flowers. Interest in parasitic wasps has significantly increased in recent years, and useful modern identification keys are now available for a wide range of genera.
Niklas Johansson has conducted a comprehensive revision of the genus Lissonota, which is now presented as a special issue of ET. This work covers all species occurring in the Western Palearctic. A richly illustrated and educational key to the females of the genus, along with detailed color plates of nearly 150 of the approximately 170 species currently known from the region, makes this work highly useful even for the general insect enthusiast. The text of the book is in English, and in addition to the mentioned identification key with accompanying species descriptions, it also includes information on distribution and ecology, including known host species.
The book is being printed with the help of funding from the Entomological Society in Stockholm.
Niklas Johansson holds a PhD in biology, specializing in ichneumon wasps. He is an expert in several different wasp groups and has described above one hundred species new to science. He works as an Environmental analyst at the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences and is also responsible for the Hymenoptera wasps at Artdatabanken.
