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African Entomology (2001) 9, 67-75
P. Chinwada and W.A. Overholt (2001)
Natural enemies of maize stemborers on the highveld of Zimbabwe
African Entomology 9 (1), 67-75
Abstract: The species composition of maize stemborers and prevalence of their natural enemies at five highveld (>1200 m) sites were studied by random sampling of borer life stages in maize fields. Busseola fusca Fuller (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) was the dominant species and constituted 99 % of all larvae and pupae sampled during the study. Cotesia sesamiae Cameron (Hymenoptera: Braconidae) was the most abundant and widely distributed parasitoid reared from B. fusca larvae, followed by Sturmiopsis parasitica (Curran) (Diptera: Tachinidae). Two hyperparasitoids, Aphanogmus fijiensis (Ferrière) (Hymenoptera: Ceraphronidae) (from C. sesamiae cocoons) and Dendrocerus rodhaini (Bequaert) (Hymenoptera: Megaspilidae) (from S. parasitica puparia) were recorded. Preliminary data on the occurrence of C. sesamiae and S. parasitica suggested that these two parasitoids complement each other by partially partitioning their niche and thus minimizing competition. However, firm conclusions concerning the host range and ecological adaptations of the two parasitoids cannot be drawn until detailed studies have been conducted countrywide, especially at lower altitudes (<900 m a.s.l.) where Chilo partellus (Swinhoe) (Lepidoptera: Pyralidae) and Sesamia calamistis Hampson (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) predominate.
(The abstract is excluded from the Creative Commons licence and has been copied with permission by the publisher.)
Database assignments for author(s): William A. Overholt, Peter Chinwada
Research topic(s) for pests/diseases/weeds:
biocontrol - natural enemies
Research topic(s) for beneficials or antagonists:
surveys/distribution/isolation
Pest and/or beneficial records:
Beneficial | Pest/Disease/Weed | Crop/Product | Country | Quarant.
|
---|---|---|---|---|
Busseola fusca | Zimbabwe | |||
Cotesia sesamiae (parasitoid) | Busseola fusca | Zimbabwe | ||
Sturmiopsis parasitica (parasitoid) | Busseola fusca | Zimbabwe |