Neochrysocharis Nr. Diastatae (Howard) (Hymenoptera:Eulophidae) Parasitic on Eggs of Letana Walker (Orthoptera:Tettigoniidae) in India:First Record of Host Association

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Authors

  • ICAR-National Bureau of Agricultural Insect Resources, Post Bag No. 2491, H. A. Farm Post, Bellary Road, Hebbal, Bengaluru 560 024, Karnataka ,IN
  • Department of Entomology, University of Agricultural Sciences, GKVK, Bengaluru 560 065 ,IN
  • Natural History Museum (Entomology), Cromwell Road, London SW7 5BD ,GB
  • ICAR-National Bureau of Agricultural Insect Resources, Post Bag No. 2491, H. A. Farm Post, Bellary Road, Hebbal, Bengaluru 560 024, Karnataka ,IN

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.18311/jbc/2015/3209

Keywords:

Grasshopper, Gregarious Egg Parasitoid, Pterospermum reticulatum, Oriental Region.

Abstract

Species of Neochrysocharis Kurdjumov (Hymenoptera: Eulophidae) are potential biocontrol agents for many important agricultural pests. This paper reports, for the first time, gregarious parasitism of Neochrysocharis nr. diastatae (Howard) on eggs of Letana sp. (Orthoptera: Tettigoniidae) on the host plant Pterospermum reticulatum Wt.&Arn. (Malvaceae) in Karnataka, India. The eggs of Letana sp. were observed along the margin of the leaves of P. reticulatum, visually distinguished as oval shaped structures. This is the first record of a host-parasitoid association between a species of Neochrysocharis and eggs of a Tettigoniidae grasshopper. DNA analysis of the parasitoid confirms a 100% match with a record of an unidentified species of Neochrysocharis from Canada. The geographical distribution and host record indicates that there may be a "N. diastatae" complex that this species actually belongs to, rather than being N. diastatae itself as N. diastatae is a Nearctic species and mainly known from agromyzids.