Most species of insect, and many other plants and animals, carry maternally heritable
microorganisms—viruses, bacteria, unicellular eukaryotes, and fungi that pass from a female …

Female‐producing parthenogenesis can be induced by endosymbionts that increase their
transmission by manipulating host reproduction. Our literature survey indicates that such …

Maternally inherited bacterial symbionts of arthropods are common, yet symbiont invasions
of host populations have rarely been observed. Here, we show that Rickettsia sp. nr. bellii …

Members of the bacterial genus Rickettsia were originally identified as causative agents of
vector-borne diseases in mammals. However, many Rickettsia species are arthropod …

Female parthenogenesis, or thelytoky, is particularly common in solitary Hymenoptera. Only
more recently has it become clear that many eusocial species also regularly reproduce …

Insects display a staggering diversity of mating and social behaviours. Studying these
systems provides insights into a wide range of evolutionary and behavioural questions, such …

The sex-determining systems of arthropods are surprisingly diverse. Some species have
male or female heterogametic sex chromosomes while other species do not have sex …

Environmental shifts and life‐history changes may result in formerly adaptive traits becoming
non‐functional or maladaptive. In the absence of pleiotropy and other constraints, such traits …

The blue-gum chalcid Leptocybe invasa Fisher & LaSalle (Hymenoptera: Eulophidae) is a
gall wasp pest of Eucalyptus species, likely native to Australia. Over the past 15 years it has …

Background Rickettsia are intracellular bacteria best known as the causative agents of
human and animal diseases. Although these medically important Rickettsia are often …