<strong>Diversity, host association, and cocoon variability of reared Indian Microgastrinae (Hymenoptera: Braconidae)</strong>

Abstract

Nearly 3,500 specimens of microgastrine wasps (Hymenoptera: Braconidae) were reared during caterpillar surveys undertaken in 2010-2013 across India, covering 16 States and one Union Territory (Andaman & Nicobar islands), and deposited in the National Bureau of Agriculturally Important Insects, Bangalore, India. The caterpillar inventory recovered over two hundred morpho-species within 22 families of Lepidoptera and yielded 90+ morpho-species of microgastrine wasps distributed among 13 genera: Apanteles Förster, Buluka de Saeger, Cotesia Cameron, Diolcogaster Ashmead, Distatrix Mason, Dolichogenidea Viereck, Fornicia Brulle, Glyptapanteles Ashmead, Microgaster Latreille, Microplitis Förster, Neoclarkinella Rema & Narendran, Parapanteles Ashmead, and Protapanteles Ashmead. Records of hyperparasitoids are also included: Mokrzeckia menzeli Subba Rao (Pteromalidae), Pachyneuron groenlandicum (Holmgren) (Pteromalidae), Pediobius foveolatus (Crawford) (Eulophidae), Trichomalopsis thekkadiensis Sureshan & Narendran (Pteromalidae), Eurytoma sp., and Pediobius sp. (Eurytomidae). The present study adds eight new host records and provides illustrations of 40 species of wasps (including types). A comprehensive list of microgastrine genera, host caterpillar species, host plants, cocoon colour, structure and spinning pattern, and hyperparasitoids is provided. Numerous photographs of parasitized caterpillars, cocoons (number/arrangement), associated host plants, and adult wasps are also provided. The Indian species Deuterixys ruidus (Wilkinson, 1928) is transferred to the genus Cotesia based on the shape and sculpture of the first and second mediotergites: Cotesia ruidus (Wilkinson) comb. nov. Microgaster carinicollis Cameron is transferred to Microplitis, based on examination of first and second mediotergites, length of metatibia spurs, and size of metaxocoxa: Microplitis carinicollis (Cameron) stat. rev.

Morphological and Molecular Characterization of Reared Parasitoid Wasps of the Genus Glyptapanteles Ashmead 1904 (Insecta: Hymenoptera: Braconidae: Microgastrinae) Associated with Lepidoptera in India

“…Additionally, types from the Natural History Museum, London, UK (BMNH) housing collections of Glyptapanteles from South East Asia were examined. Identification was undertaken consulting Wilkinson 1928 [ 10 ], Nixon 1965 [ 11 ], Mason 1981 [ 3 ], Gupta & Pereira 2012 [ 12 ], Gupta 2013 [ 13 ], Gupta & Fernández-Triana 2014 [ 14 ] and Yu et al 2012 [ 15 ] was consulted for host associations. Most of the images of host caterpillar/cocoons were taken with either Nikon D7000 with Nikkor 105mm macro lens or Sony DSLR-A100 Digital SLR Camera with Tamron 90mm macro lens.…”

Cotesia ruficrus (Haliday, 1834) (Hymenoptera: Braconidae) emerging as a common natural parasitoid of Spodoptera frugiperda (J. E. Smith) (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) in Indian maize fields

“…Distribution: Afrotropical, Australasian, Neotropical, Oriental, and Palaearctic (Yu et al, 2016). India-present in mainland as well as in Andaman & Nicobar Islands (Gupta & Fernández-Triana, 2014). Gupta et al, (2016) have emphasized on the use of integrated approach (combining morphology, host data, and COI gene) as a dependable method of species delimitation for the identification of microgastrine wasps (Braconidae) as they are super diverse and highly speciose.…”

“…More specifically, C. ruficrus is also recorded parasitizing the pestiferous host S. frugiperda from Trinidad and Tobago (CABI, 2019). Gupta & Fernández-Triana (2014) reported C. ruficrus from Spodoptera sp. in Karnataka and from an indeterminate larva feeding on maize in the Andamans and Nicobar Islands in 2012.…”

Three new species and two new records of the genus Cotesia Cameron (Hymenoptera: Braconidae) from Iran

“…Gupta et al (2016a) used the gregarious species of the genus Glyptapanteles Ashmead, 1904 to generate accurate boundaries between species/species-groups using an integrated approach with three different sets of data (morphology, host records and mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase subunit I (COI) nucleotide sequences). Gupta & Fernández-Triana (2014) and Fernández-Triana et al (2014) recorded many gregarious and solitary hosts associated with Cotesia from the Oriental and Neotropical regions, respecively. Species of this genus are selected regularly as biological control agents.…”