Illuminating new host-parasitoid relationships of <i>Apocephalus</i> Coquillett (Diptera:

Mattie J. Gose's research data from 2026 investigates cryptic host-associated diversity in the parasitic fly genus Apocephalus, specifically the species Apocephalus antennatus. The dataset includes genetic sequences, host associations, and morphological data from parasitoids reared from fireflies collected across the eastern United States and Costa Rica. The work tests the species status of A. antennatus and explores determinants of host specialization versus generalization.

Use Cases

• Species delimitation analysis based on genetic sequence data mentioned in the description
• Studying host-parasitoid relationship patterns based on collected host association data
• Comparing specialist versus generalist evolutionary strategies based on host range findings
• Morphological trait analysis linked to genetic and host data for taxonomic purposes

Strengths

• Data includes genetic sequences, host associations, and morphology for species delimitation.
• Geographic coverage includes the eastern United States and Costa Rica.
• Published under a CC-BY-4.0 license for open reuse.

Limitations

• Row count is unknown, which may limit suitability assessment.
• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• The dataset is very small at 114.8 KB, indicating limited scope.

Provenance

Source

Mattie J. Gose via figshare

Collection Method

Adult fireflies were collected and their Apocephalus parasitoids were reared for analysis.

Time Range

Collection date range is not specified.

Freshness

Last updated 2026-04-14 07:58:05; freshness should be verified.

Geography

Eastern half of the United States and Costa Rica.