Life history traits and foraging behaviour of Cotesia nonagriae (Olliff) (Hymenoptera: Braconidae), a newly recognised member of the Cotesia flavipes complex of stemborer parasitoids

Abstract

Life history traits and foraging behaviour of Cotesia nonagriae (Olliff) (Hymenoptera: Braconidae), a newly recognised member of the Cotesia flavipes complex of stemborer parasitoids aen_737 56..65 AbstractCotesia nonagriae (Olliff) from Australia, a parasitoid of the incidental native pest of sugarcane, Bathytricha truncata (Walker) (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae), was previously thought to be a synonym of Cotesia flavipes Cameron. However, recent studies using DNA sequences, morphology and preliminary biological information show that this parasitoid is clearly a different species than C. flavipes and other members of the species complex. Here we further examine differences in the biology of these species by undertaking a detailed study of the life history traits of C. nonagriae, including adult longevity and the potential and realised fecundity of females. In addition, the influence of learning on microhabitat location and foraging behaviour were investigated. Duration of the larval stages and adult longevity of C. nonagriae were longer than previously recorded for other members of the species complex. The potential fecundity of females was similar to C. flavipes (~200 eggs); however, C. nonagriae oviposited a average of over 100 eggs into each host, almost three times more than for other species in the C. flavipes complex (30-40). The propensity of C. nonagriae to allocate a large number of eggs to each host may be an evolutionary strategy due to the high mortality rate (50-57%) of ovipositing adult wasps. During microhabitat location, both naïve and experienced females demonstrated a strong response towards the plant host complex, with experienced wasps benefiting by having a more rapid response time to host-induced volatiles and cues.

Ongoing ecological speciation in Cotesia sesamiae, a biological control agent of cereal stem borers

“…domingiensis resource may thus confer a selective advantage to parasitoids that are able to counter the host resistance, which may then enable them to evolve as a specialist entity. In C. sesamiae, reproductive isolation from other ecological populations is indeed possible without geographical barrier because it is favored by sib-mating in the host tunnel (Branca et al 2009 ), short adult life expectation (Potting et al 1997 ; Muirhead et al 2010 ), low population densities, weak dispersal abilities (Omwega et al 2006 ), and Wolbachia infection (Branca et al 2011 ).…”

Geographic variation in male courtship acoustics and genetic divergence of populations of the Cotesia flavipes species complex

“…Finally, a third C. flavipes population was collected from the larvae of Bathytricha truncata (Walker) (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) on sugarcane in Bundaburg (24°51′S, 152°21′E), Australia. In a study conducted concurrently with the present one, the Australian population was separated from C. flavipes and designated a new species, C. nonagriae (Muirhead et al., 2008, 2010). We refer to this population as the Australian C. flavipes.…”

Clarification of the author and year of publication of Cotesia chilonis, a species used widely for biological control of Chilo stem borers

“…The monophyly of the complex is well supported by molecular (Smith and Kambhampati 1999;Michel-Salzat and Whitfield 2004;Muirhead et al 2006Muirhead et al , 2008 and morphological characters, such as a dorsoventrally compressed mesosoma (Watanabe 1965;Walker 1994, Muirhead et al 2008.…”

“…Cotesia chilonis belongs to the Cotesia flavipes species complex, which includes four species parasitizing stemboring pests associated with sugarcane and cereal crops (Walker 1994, Muirhead et al 2008. The monophyly of the complex is well supported by molecular (Smith and Kambhampati 1999;Michel-Salzat and Whitfield 2004;Muirhead et al 2006Muirhead et al , 2008 and morphological characters, such as a dorsoventrally compressed mesosoma (Watanabe 1965;Walker 1994, Muirhead et al 2008.…”