Species from the genus Paralipsis are obligatory endoparasitoids of root aphids in the Palaearctic. It is known that these species are broadly distributed, parasitizing various aphid hosts and showing great biological and ecological diversity. On the other hand, this group of endoparasitoids is understudied and was thought to be represented by a single species in Europe, viz., Paralipsisenervis (Nees). However, recent description of two new species indicated the possibility of cryptic speciation and recognition of additional Paralipsis species in Europe. In this research, Paralipsis specimens collected during the last 60 years from eight European countries, as well as one sample from Morocco, were subjected to molecular and morphological characterization. Newly designed genus-specific degenerative primers successfully targeted short overlapping fragments of COI of the mitochondrial DNA. Molecular analyses showed clear separation of four independent lineages, two of which are the known species P.enervis and P.tibiator, while two new species are described here, viz., P.brachycaudi Tomanović & Starý, sp. n. and P.rugosa Tomanović & Starý, sp. n. No clear specialization of the taxa to a strict root aphid host has been determined. The recognized mitochondrial lineages were distinct one from another, but with a substantial within-lineage divergence rate, clearly indicating the complexity of this group of parasitoids, on which further research is required in order to clarify the factors triggering their genetic differentiation. We reviewed literature data and new records of Paralipsisenervis aphid host associations and distributions. A key for the identification of all known Paralipsis species is provided and illustrated.

Institut de Biologia Integrativa de Sistemes Universitat de València CSIC C Catedràtic Agustín Escardino Benlloch 46908 Paterna Valencia Spain Universitat de València València Spain

Institute for Plant Protection and Environment Department of Plant Pests Banatska 33 Belgrade Serbia Institute for Plant Protection and Environment Belgrade Serbia

Laboratory of Aphidology Institute of Entomology Biology Centre of the Czech Academy of Sciences Branišovská 31 37005 České Budějovice Czech Republic Biology Centre of the Czech Academy of Sciences České Budějovicé Czech Republic

University of Belgrade Faculty of Biology Institute of Zoology Studenstki trg 16 11000 Belgrade Serbia University of Belgrade Belgrade Serbia

University of Niš Faculty of Science and Mathematics Department of Biology and Ecology Višegradska 33 Niš Serbia University of Niš Niš Serbia

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