The systematics and biology of Cotesia nonagriae (Olliff) stat. rev. (Hymenoptera: Braconidae: Microgastrinae), a newly recognized member of the Cotesia flavipes species complex

Abstract

The Australian species Cotesia nonagriae Olliff stat. rev. (Hymenoptera: Braconidae) is redescribed and formally removed from synonymy with C. flavipes based on molecular, morphological and biological differences. The taxonomic history and phylogenetic relationships of C. nonagriae with other members of the C. flavipes complex are presented and underscore the importance of molecular-based identification within this group. The biology of C. nonagriae on the native noctuid stemborer host, Bathytricha truncata (Walker), is compared with previously recorded C. flavipes life history traits. The implications of this taxonomic study relative to biological control and importation of stemborer parasitoids into Australia are discussed.

Systematics and biology of Cotesia typhae sp. n. (Hymenoptera, Braconidae, Microgastrinae), a potential biological control agent against the noctuid Mediterranean corn borer, Sesamia nonagrioides

“…C. typhae adult longevity was close to that of C. sesamiae , i.e. a mean longevity of about three days when fed honey at 25° and 60% RH (Sallam et al 2002), but shorter than the longevity recorded in similar conditions for C. flavipes (about 5-6 days, Potting et al 1997) and for C. nonagriae (about 12 days, Muirhead et al 2008). Longevity in outdoor conditions may be longer due to cooler temperatures at night and the opportunity to rest in favorable micro-niches provided by plants.…”

“…With regard to realized fecundity, data available for the species complex were mostly the number of offspring produced from the first oviposition, which can be estimated at 60 offspring in C. typhae . This value is intermediate between higher value observed for C. nonagriae (about 90 offspring from one oviposition, Muirhead et al 2008), and lower value observed for C. sesamiae and C. flavipes (from 25 to 45, depending on both parasitoid strain and host species, Jiang et al 2004, Mochiah et al 2001, NgiSong et al 1998, Sallam et al 2002). Altogether, these data indicate an evolution of the reproduction strategy within the flavipes complex.…”

“…We could not examine specimens of Cotesia nonagriae , but this Australian species has recently been redescribed and illustrated (Muirhead et al 2008, 2012). …”

“…We evaluated a number of morphological characters proposed in previous studies (Kimani-Njogu and Overholt 1997, Muirhead et al 2008), and others characters are explored for the first time in this species complex. Morphological terms and measurements of structures are mostly those used by Mason (1981), Huber and Sharkey (1993), Whitfield (1997), Karlsson and Ronquist (2012), and Fernandez-Triana et al (2014).…”

“…The species-group comprises Cotesia chilonis (Munakata, 1912) from eastern Asia, including China, Japan and Indonesia; Cotesia flavipes (Cameron, 1891), from the Indian sub-continent, but also released and established in east Africa and the New World for the purpose of biological control; Cotesia nonagriae (Olliff, 1893), an Australian endemic recently removed from synonymy with C. flavipes (Muirhead et al 2008, 2012), and Cotesia sesamiae (Cameron, 1906), from sub-Saharan and Southern Africa (Kimani-Njogu and Overholt 1997). Members of this species complex are economically important worldwide as biocontrol agents of cereals and sugarcane stem borer pests (Kfir et al 2002, Lou et al 2014, Mindigoyi et al 2016, Polaszek and Walker 1991, Simões et al 2012), and their presence in their native settings help regulate populations of important pests (Kfir et al 2002, Liu et al 2000).…”