Genomics and reproductive biology ofLeptopilina n. sp.Buffington, Lue, Davis & Tracey sp. nov. (Hymenoptera: Figitidae): An asexual parasitoid of CaribbeanDrosophila

Drosophilaand parasitic wasps in the genusLeptopilinahave long been a model for understanding host-parasite interactions. Indeed, parasitic wasps are important drivers of ecological and evolutionary processes broadly, but we are generally lacking information about the diversity, natural history, and evolution of these relationships. We collected insects from the Caribbean Island of Saint Lucia, home to the eastern Caribbean ‘dunni’ subgroup ofDrosophila: a clade long appreciated for its recent patterns of speciation and adaptation. Here we present an integrative approach that incorporates natural history, taxonomy, physiology, and genomics to describeLeptopilina n. sp.Buffington, Lue, Davis & Tracey sp. nov. (Hymenoptera: Figitidae), a virulent parasitoid ofdunnigroup flies, especiallyDrosophila antillea. Leptopilina n. sp.is nested within an early-branching clade ofLeptopilina, offering insights into the evolution of this important genus ofDrosophilaparasitoids. We present a high-quality assembly for this wasp’s 1Gbp genome, and for its bacterial endosymbiont:Wolbachiastrain “wLmal”. Furthermore, we show thatwLmal induces parthenogenesis in the wasp, and that these wasps are reliant upon theirWolbachiainfections to produce female offspring. Finally, comparison to historical museum specimens indicate thatLeptopilina n. sp.had been collected approximately 40 years prior from the nearby island of Guadeloupe and were also asexually reproducing. This work represents one of only a handful of studies in which field biology, taxonomy, systematics, genomics, and experimental biology are integrated into a species description: showcasing the possibilities for biodiversity research in the genomic era.