The parasitoids of the African white rice borer,Maliarpha separatellaRagonot (Lepidoptera: Pyralidae)

Abstract

A key is provided for the recognition of the hymenopterous parasitoids of the African white rice borer, Maliarpha separatella Ragonot, a pest of rice in Africa and Madagascar. Risbec. The known distributions, biologies and alternative hosts of each parasitoid are provided, and their use as biological control agents or components of integrated pest management programmes are discussed.

First contribution to the doryctine fauna (Hymenoptera, Braconidae, Doryctinae) of Farasan Archipelago, Saudi Arabia, with new records and the description of a new species

“…Genera were identified using Belokobylskij and Tobias (in Tobias et al 1995), Belokobylskij (2001Belokobylskij ( , 2006, Marsh (2002) and Belokobylskij et al (2004). On the species level, several available keys, as well as original descriptions were used, like (arranged chronologically): Marshall (1900), Fischer (1968), Papp (1987), Belokobylskij (1983Belokobylskij ( , 1994Belokobylskij ( , 2001Belokobylskij ( , 2006, Polaszek et al (1994), Belokobylskij and Tobias (in Tobias et al 1995), van Achterberg and Polaszek (1996), Shaw (1997), van Achterberg and Walker (1998), Shi et al (2002), Belokobylskij and Maeto (2008), and Tang et al (2013). The identification of Rhaconotus carinatus was confirmed by Andrew Polaszek who kindly examined the holotype (BMNH).…”

“…General distribution. Cameroon, Ghana, Madagascar, Nigeria, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Tanzania, Togo (Polaszek et al 1994), Saudi Arabia (Farasan Islands) (new record).…”

“…Based on Polaszek et al (1994) and van Achterberg and Polaszek (1996), our species differs from the African specimens in having the pterostigma distinctly infuscate medially, with pale basal and apical ends (distinctly infuscate in the African specimens); antenna 35-segmented (26-33 in the African specimens); lateral lobes of mesoscutum moderately setose (largely glabrous in the African specimens); propodeum finely reticulate, with a hardly visible median longitudinal carinae as well as two very short sublateral ones (almost smooth anteromedially in the African specimens, see fig. 30 in Polaszek et al (1994) and fig. 366 in van Achterberg and Polaszek (1996)).…”

Revision of the Afrotropical species of Pristomerus (Ichneumonidae: Cremastinae), with descriptions of 31 new species

“…Fitton, 1994 Rousse et al 2013) The large series of specimens available in the MNHN collection shows considerable variation with respect to the original description of P. caris. The propodeum carination is highly variable, the area basalis being petiolate to truncate, and the area superomedia greatly varies in elongation.…”

Translucent cuticle and setiferous patches in Megaspilidae (Hymenoptera, Ceraphronoidea)

“…Although ceraphronoids are commonly collected (Martinez de Murgia et al 2001;Mikó et al 2013;Schmitt 2004) and include species that are agriculturally important (Boenisch et al 1997;Chow and Mackauer 1999;Ferrière 1933;Kamarudin et al 1996;Ortiz-Martínez and Lavandero 2017;Polaszek et al 1994) the taxon is full of phylogenetic uncertainties. Even the relationship of Ceraphronoidea to other Hymenoptera remains unclear, although the superfamily is robustly monophyletic (Mikó et al 2013).…”