First record of the egg parasitoids of Chilo partellus (Swinhoe, 1885) (Lepidoptera: Crambidae) in Turkey unveiled by DNA Barcoding

Abstract

Chilo partellus (Swinhoe) (Lepidoptera: Crambidae) is an invasive insect species attacking maize (Zea mays L.) and other cereal crops causing important yield losses. The occurrence of this insect in Turkey was first reported in maize growing areas of some provinces in the East Mediterranean region of Turkey in 2014. Chemical or other pest control methods do not always provide acceptable control of this pest, so biological control is considered an important alternative. However, for a successful biological control, the first step is to reliably identify the natural enemies of a target pest, which is difficult to achieve using methods based on morphology. Recent developments in molecular techniques allow more reliable identification of insect species and their parasitoids. Therefore, the aim of this study was to identify the egg parasitoids of C. partellus by molecular methods. Parasitized eggs were collected from maize fields in Hatay province, Turkey, from September to October 2014 and in September 2015. Eggs were maintained in the laboratory and emerging adult parasitoids were subjected to molecular analysis. Using DNA barcoding, two native natural enemies, Trichogramma brassicae Bezdenko (Hymenoptera: Trichogrammatidae) and Telenomus busseolae (Gahan) (Hymenoptera: Platygastridae) were identified as egg parasitoids of C. partellus for the first time in Turkey.

First record and parasitism of egg parasitoid Trichogramma evanescens Westwood, 1833 (Hymenoptera: Trichogrammatidae) on eggs of Chilo partellus Swinhoe, 1885 (Lepidoptera: Crambidae) in Turkey

“…Alternative methods, such as biological control, are actively being investigated in many parts of the world for the control of C. partellus (Jalali & Singh, 2006;Shera et al, 2017;Thubru et al, 2018). This study provided the first report of T. evanescens in C. partellus in Turkey, and this finding along with the previous report of T. brassicae in C. partellus (Can Cengiz et al, 2016) are supportive of adaptive local biological control of invasive pests. In the findings of Can Cengiz et al (2016), parasitism of C. partellus was recorded only in the second crop, probably emphasizing the general parasitoid nature of the parasitoids which are often in the field in the second crop of maize alongside native maize stem borers.…”

“…Alternative methods, such as biological control, are actively being investigated in many parts of the world for the control of C. partellus (Jalali & Singh, 2006;Shera et al, 2017;Thubru et al, 2018). This study provided the first report of T. evanescens in C. partellus in Turkey, and this finding along with the previous report of T. brassicae in C. partellus (Can Cengiz et al, 2016) A) setae at least 2.5 to 3 times longer than the width of clava, B) setae at least 3 times longer than the width of setae, C) wide tip and wide lateral lobes of dorsal extension of phallobase, D) ventral extension of phallobase, E) wide tip and wide lateral lobes of dorsal phallobase enlarged, and F) ventral extension of phallobase enlarged.…”

“…Trichogramma brassicae has been widely suggested and used as biological control agent for many lepidopterous pests (Moezipour et al, 2008;Lundgren et al, 2009;Thubru et al, 2018). Since T. brassicae has been found in different regions of Turkey (Can Cengiz et al, 2016), it appears that local natural enemies can be adaptable for control of C. partellus.…”

Field margin Plants support arthropod natural enemies in smallholder common bean farming systems in northern Tanzania

“…The parasitoid has been reported to parasitize the eggs of other Crambidae (Can & Kamuran, 2016). Species from the family Platygastridae are the egg parasitoids of several species of the order Lepidoptera which comprise a group of pests with global importance, including Spodoptera frugiperda and Chilo partellus (Cave, 2000;Cengiz et al, 2016;Marquis et al, 2019;Pomari-Fernandes et al, 2015). The family comprises two subfamilies; Platygastrinae and Sceliotrachelinae (Austin et al, 2005).…”