Darwin Wasps (Hymenoptera: Ichneumonidae) Associated with the Olive Caterpillar Palpita forficifera Munroe, 1959 (Lepidoptera: Crambidae) in Southern Brazil
First Records and Distribution Expansion
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.31285/AGRO.30.1690Keywords:
biological control, larval parasitoids, Eiphosoma, Temelucha, integrated pest managementAbstract
The olive caterpillar Palpita forficifera Munroe, 1959 (Lepidoptera: Crambidae) is the main pest of olive orchards in Brazil. Larvae of this pest consume young leaves and branches, reducing leaf area and limiting the growth of branches responsible for flowering in the next season. Some hymenopteran wasps can exert parasitism on the olive caterpillar, and must not be neglected since they can contribute to integrated pest management in olive orchards. Here we report the parasitism of Darwin wasps species (Hymenoptera: Ichneumonidae) on P. forficifera larvae collected in olive orchards from the municipality of Chapecó (Santa Catarina state), Pelotas and Rio Grande (Rio Grande do Sul state) in the southern region of Brazil. Infested shoots were sampled and taken to laboratory for inspection and collection of larvae. Collected larvae were individualized in glass tubes and feed with olive leaves. Three Darwin wasp species were identified parasitizing P. forficifera larvae. Eiphosoma sp. and Temelucha sp. are both probably new species to the science and were found in Chapecó, while Temelucha hilux Gauld, 2000 was found in Pelotas and Rio Grande. This is the first record of the genus Temelucha in Santa Catarina, expanding its known distribution in southern Brazil, and also the first report of association of Eiphosoma sp. parasitoids with P. forficifera larvae. These findings are important to prospect natural biological control of the olive caterpillar in olive orchards.
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