Ichneumonids (Hymenoptera) and Tachinid Flies (Diptera) Associated to Leptidopterans in Soybean Crops

Abstract

Studies on natural enemies are important to find new species and to develop management strategies to preserve them to help control pests in biological control programs. For the state of Mato Grosso, Brazil, which comprises the Amazon, Cerrado, and Pantanal biomes, few studies have been conducted on the diversity of these parasitoids, possible endemic and/or new species, as well as their potential as natural enemies. Thus, the present study was aimed at describing the diversity of parasitoids of the families Ichneumonidae (Hymenoptera) and Tachinidae (Diptera) associated with pest lepidopterans in soybean crops. Weekly sampling of pest lepidopterans was carried out during four soybean seasons (2009/2010, 2010/2011, 2011/2012 and 2012/2013). Parasitoid larvae were observed in the main lepidopteran pest species of soybean during the four soybean seasons. Three genera of the Ichneumonidae family, belonging to the genera Microcharops Roman, Ophionellus Westwood, and Podogaster Brullé. Six genera of the Tachinidae family occur in the state of Mato Grosso in soybean fields. The following genera were recorded: Archytas spp. Jaennicke, Phorocera spp. Robineau-Desvoidy, Gymnocarcelia spp. Townsend, Lespesia spp. Robineau-Desvoidy, Eucelatoria spp. Townsend, Chetogena spp. Rondani. These parasitoids were found parasitizing caterpillars of the Noctuidae (Lepidoptera), in species that had not yet been reported as hosts for the Neotropical region. Further studies are needed on the beneficial entomofauna and their preservation in agricultural environments.

Diversity of Ophioniformes wasps (Hymenoptera: Ichneumonidae) in a Central-West Brazilian Savanna area

“…Ophionellus Westwood, 1874 is a small new world genus (21 species) with three Brazilian species (Yu et al, 2016;Fernandes et al, 2020a). Besides the records for Mato Grosso do Sul state, this genus has been recorded in the south by Brullé (1846) and in soy crops attacking the noctuid moths Chrysodeixis includens (Walker, 1858) and Heliothis virescens (Fabricius, 1777) (Massarolli et al, 2018).…”

“…Eight species are recorded for the country (Yu et al, 2016;Fernandes et al, 2020a). Brazilian host records of this genus include Chrysodeixis includens (Walker, 1858) (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) in soy crops (Massarolli et al, 2018) and Hypsipyla grandella (Zeller, 1848) (Lepidoptera: Pyralidae) in the south of Brazil (Graf, 1983).…”

Brachymeria koehleri (Hymenoptera: Chalcididae): first record as hyperparasitoid in Dione juno juno (Lepidoptera: Nymphalidae) pupae

“…Smith, 1797), Trichoplusia ni (Hübner, 1803), (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae), and Hypena scabra (Fabricius, 1798) (Lepidoptera: Erebidae) in Costa Rica and Peru, and Strymon acis (Drury, 1773) (Lepidoptera: Lycaenidae) in the state of Florida, EUA (Salvato et al, 2012;Sourakov and Mitchell, 2002). Chetogena spp., parasitized C. includens (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) in Mato Grosso, Brazil (Massarolli et al, 2018).…”