Brachymeria pandora (Crawford) (Hymenoptera: Chalcididae) as a New Parasitoid of Thyrinteina leucocerae (Rindge) (Lepidoptera: Geometridae) in Brazil

Abstract

This is the first report of Brachymeria pandora (Crawford) (Hymenoptera: Chalcididae)-parasitizing pupae of the eucalyptus defoliator Thyrinteina leucocerae (Rindge) (Lepidoptera: Geometridae) in Brazil.

Chalcididae (Hymenoptera) Associated With a Semiarid Region in Bahia, Brazil

“…In the forest area, Brachymeria species are being studied for future applications in biological control programs for the main defoliating Lepidoptera species of Eucalyptus in Brazil. The pest-species that occur in Eucalyptus plantations in the state of Bahia include Brachymeria ovata (Say), a parasitoid of Eupseudosoma aberrans (Schaus), E. involuta Sepp (Arctiidae) (OHASHI; BERTI FILHO, 1988), and Sarsina violascens (Herrich-Schaeffer) (Lymantriidae); Brachymeria pandora (Crawford), a parasitoid of Thyrinteina leucoceraea Rindge (ZACHÉ et al, 2012); and Brachymeria pseudovata Blanchard, a parasitoid of Oiketicus kirbyi Guilding (Psychidae) (COSTA LIMA, 1945).…”

“…Chalcididae are characterized by a potential to control populational densities of hosts species and are used in conservative (DELVARE, 2017) and natural (DELVARE; GENTY, 1992) biological control programs, as several of their hosts are species of economic interest by being agroforestry pests. The species Brachymeria pandora (Crawford, 1914), for example, can be a potential agent for the control of defoliating pest species in eucalyptus plantations, such as Thyrinteina leucocerae (Rindge) (Geometridae) (ZACHÉ et al, 2012).…”

Brachymeria minuta (Hymenoptera: Chalcididae): parasitism on pupa of the eucalypt defoliator Thyrinteina arnobia (Lepidoptera: Geometridae) and its first record in the Americas

“…Species of Chalcididae wasps are cosmopolitan with the majority reported from tropical regions (Hasanshahi et al, 2013) and Brachymeria Westwood, 1829 is one of the most widespread and common genera of this family. Species of this genus parasitize pupae of Coleoptera, Diptera, Hymenoptera and Lepidoptera pests (Zache et al, 2012;Aquino et al, 2015) or are pupal hyperparasitoids (Pinheiro et al, 2022). Brachymeria parasitized Thyrinteina sp.…”

Review of Parasitoid Wasps and Flies (Hymenoptera, Diptera) Associated with Limacodidae (Lepidoptera) in North America, with a Key to Genera

“…Hyperparasitism by B. koehleri has been reported in association with species of Sarcophagidae and Tachinidae parasitizing Geometridae, Hesperiidae, Nymphalidae, Noctuidae, and Papilionidae caterpillars (Thompson 1954;De Santis 1967, 1989Herting 1976Herting , 1978Tavares et al 2006;Salgado-Neto et al 2010;Tinôco et al 2012;Zaché et al 2012). Brachymeria spp.…”

“…pupae parasitizing Paridesa scanius Cramer (Lepidoptera: Papilionidae) caterpillars, a defoliator of Aristolochia trilobata L. (Aristolochiales: Aristolochiaceae) in the Rio de Janeiro, Brazil (Tavares et al 2006), and also as a hyperparasitoid of Chetogena scutellaris Wulp (Diptera: Tachinidae) parasitizing Opsiphanes invirae Hübner (Lepidoptera: Nymphalidae) caterpillars, which defoliate Elaeis guineensis Jacq (Arecales: Arecaceae) in the Pará, Brazil (Tinôco et al 2012 (Tinôco et al 2012) and Thyrinteina leucoceraea Rindge (Lepidoptera: Geometridae) in Minas Gerais (Zaché et al 2012); and Brachymeria annulipes Costa Lima (Hymenoptera: Chalcididae) parasitizing Opsiphanes invirae Hübner (Lepidoptera: Nymphalidae) pupae (Tinôco et al 2012). This is the first report of hyperparasitism by B. koeheri of L. melloi pupae parasitizing T. tibialis caterpillars defoliating a T. catappa plant in Brazil.…”