Florida Entomologist (2013) 96, 676-678
C. Ribeiro, Walkymário De P. Lemos, Ancidériton A. De Castro, Júlio C.M. Poderoso, José E. Serrão and José C. Zanuncio (2013)
Trichospilus diatraeae (Hymenoptera: Eulophidae): A potential biological control agent of Lepidopteran pests of oil palm in the Brazilian Amazon
Florida Entomologist 96 (2), 676-678
Abstract: The expansion of oil palm (Elaeis guineensis) monoculture may favor insect pests such as the caterpillars of Opsiphanes invirae Hübner, Brassolis sophorae L. (Lepidoptera: Nymphalidae) and Eupalamides cyparissias (Fabricius) (Lepidoptera: Castniidae). The objective of this study was to evaluate the potential of Trichospilus diatraeae Cherian and Margabandhu (Hymenoptera: Eulophidae) to parasitize pupae of lepidopteran pests of oil palm. Groups of fifty females of T. diatraeae were maintained inside test tubes with one pupa of one of the following hosts: O. invirae, B. sophorae or E. cyparissias for 48 h. Trichospilus diatraeae parasitized the 3 Lepidopteran species, but reproduced only on O. invirae and B. sophorae. These results suggest that this parasitoid, of polyphagous habit, may represent an alternative for the control of lepidopteran pests of oil palm in the Brazilian Amazon.
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Database assignments for author(s): José Cola Zanuncio, José Eduardo Serrao
Research topic(s) for pests/diseases/weeds:
biocontrol - natural enemies
Research topic(s) for beneficials or antagonists:
general biology - morphology - evolution
