Corrigenda pasted on verso of leaf 267. Bibliography: leaves 239-253. This study focuses on the phylogenetic status of Diolcogaster within the Cotesia-complex. The Cotesia-complex is not resolved as a monophyletic group though most of the included genera are so resolved. Diolcogaster is revised for the Australasian region and recorded for the first time fron New Zealand. A total of 26 species are now known from Australasia.

Corrigenda pasted on verso of leaf 267. / Bibliography: leaves 239-253. / xii, 267 leaves : ill. ; 30 cm. / Title page, contents and abstract only. The complete thesis in print form is available from the University Library. / This study focuses on the phylogenetic status of Diolcogaster within the Cotesia-complex. The Cotesia-complex is not resolved as a monophyletic group though most of the included genera are so resolved. Diolcogaster is revised for the Australasian region and recorded for the first time fron New Zealand. A total of 26 species are now known from Australasia. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--University of Adelaide, Dept. of Crop Protection, Faculty of Agriculture and Natural Resource Sciences, 1997

Many Hymenoptera, with their painful stings and noxious chemical defenses, exhibit bright aposematic warning color patterns and are the most frequently mimicked group of organisms. Such aposematic color patterns are found in parasitic wasps of the Neotropical Compsobracon group (Braconidae). Many members of this group exhibit color patterns similar to several thousand other species of Braconidae, Ichneumonidae, sawflies, assassin bugs, flies, moths, and beetles. One hypothesis to explain this observation is that the members of the complex and their colors are generated by multiple cospeciation events resulting in the constituent genera having isomorphic phylogenetic trees. An alternative hypothesis is that the organisms have colonized existing color pattern niches independently and do not have topologically similar phylogenetic histories. In order to test the hypothesis that these patterns are the result of cospeciation events they will be described and mapped onto a phylogenetic tree. If clades are found to have isomorphic topologies; evidence will suggest cospeciation. However, if clades are not found to have similar topologies, evidence will suggest independent colonization of color pattern niches. / Graduation date: 2006