Tachinid (Diptera, Tachinidae) parasitoids of Lobesia botrana (Denis & Schiffermüller, 1775) (Lepidoptera, Tortricidae) and other moths

Abstract

The present paper reports data on the biology of eleven species of tachinid flies collected in Italy and Spain on different host plants and emerged from different host larvae. An annotated list of the eleven species emerged from the collected lepidopterans is provided; information about distribution and biology are given as well as the description of their puparia. Two new parasitoid species of the European Grapevine Moth (EGVM) Lobesia botrana were recorded: Clemelis massilia, whose host preferences were unknown so far, and Neoplectops pomonellae. A list of lepidopteran pest species with their associated plants and tachinid parasitoids is then given in order to highlight the relationships among the three components of the biocenosis (plant, herbivore and parasitoid). Eventually, due to the great economic importance of L. botrana in viticulture, a preliminary identification key to the puparia of its tachinid parasitoids is provided.

Back to the Wild: The Parasitoid Community of Lobesia botrana (Lepidoptera: Tortricidae) in a Grapevine-Free Natural Environment

“…On the other hand, despite being considered the most important host plant of the EGVM and suggested as its original host [ 31 , 32 ], few Italian studies tried to highlight the population dynamics of this moth and its parasitoids on the spurge flax, D. gnidium [ 62 , 64 ]. In Italy, studies have been conducted in Tuscany [ 32 , 59 , 62 , 63 , 64 ], Apulia [ 60 ], and Sardinia [ 61 ], for a total of 28 (morpho)-species of parasitoids associated with EGVM developing on D. gnidium ( Table 3 ). One of the major difficulties in identifying the correct host-parasitoid associations in a natural ecosystem is the coexistence of several lepidopteran species in the same microhabitat, which can be attacked in turn by unspecific parasitoids that exploit the habitat rather than the host [ 89 ].…”

“…D. gnidium is particularly widespread in the open spaces, where the sunlight can easily penetrate. Starting from March to October, the sprouts, flowers, or fruits of the bushes can host a diverse community of lepidopteran preimaginal stages, while EGVM eggs and larvae represent a suitable and abundant resource for a rich community of predators and parasitoids [ 59 , 62 , 63 , 69 , 70 ].…”

“…Among these, spurge flax, Daphne gnidium L. (Thymelaeaceae), very likely represents its originary wild host plant [ 30 , 31 , 32 , 33 ]. Several studies focused on the parasitoid complex of EGVM in the European vineyards [ 34 , 35 , 36 , 37 , 38 , 39 , 40 , 41 , 42 , 43 , 44 , 45 , 46 , 47 , 48 , 49 , 50 , 51 , 52 , 53 , 54 , 55 , 56 , 57 , 58 , 59 ], but very little is still known about parasitoids developing on wild EGVM populations [ 32 , 59 , 60 , 61 , 62 , 63 , 64 ]. In this scenario, we investigated the community structure of EGVM parasitoids on D. gnidium in a wild area where grapevine is absent, during a three-year sampling.…”

New species Tachinid flies (Diptera: Tachinidae) in the Russian fauna

“…BIOLOGY. Parasitoid on Lepidoptera Erebidae of the genus Amata Fabricius, 1807 [Tschorsnig, 2017;Scaramozzino et al, 2020]. In the conditions of central Russia, including the Republic of Mordovia, the probable host is the only representative of the family Erebidae close to Amata, Syntomis (= Amata) nigricornis Alphéraky, 1883. The female of C. falenaria was captured in a pine forest with a well-defined shrub layer.…”

“…BIOLOGY. A host of this species has recently been recorded for the first time [Scaramozzino et al, 2020]. This is Lobesia botrana (Denis et Schiffer-Müller, 1775), Tortricidae.…”