Cotesia is a genus of braconid wasps first described by Peter Cameron in 1891. Some species parasitize caterpillars of species considered pests, and are used as biocontrol agents. Cotesia congregata parasitizes the tomato and the tobacco hornworms. C. glomerata and C. rubecula feed on the cabbage white and other white butterfly caterpillars. C. gonopterygis and C. risilis are host-specific and parasitize the common brimstone.[1]
| Cotesia | |
|---|---|
| Male C. congregata courting an immobilized female (slow motion) | |
| Male C. congregata courtship song | |
Scientific classification 
| |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Insecta |
| Order: | Hymenoptera |
| Family: | Braconidae |
| Subfamily: | Microgastrinae |
| Genus: | Cotesia Cameron, 1891 |
| Diversity | |
| more than 300 species | |
The wasp C. melanoscelus parasitizes the caterpillar of the spongy moth. It, and the spongy moth, are native to Europe. The spongy moth is an invasive species in North America, and C. melanoscelus has been imported as a biocontrol of the moth.[2] Cotesia icipe is a parasitoid of Spodoptera littoralis and beet armyworm (Spodoptera exigua) which are pests of amaranth crops.[3]
Species edit
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Cotesia ruficrus illustrated by Des Helmore -
Cotesia sp. cocoons -
Cotesia sp. cocoons
See also edit
References edit
- ^ Lozan, Aurel; Spitzer, Karel; Jaroš, Josef (2012-06-01). "Isolated peat bog habitats and their food connections: parasitoids (Hymenoptera: Ichneumonoidea) and their lepidopteran hosts". Journal of Insect Conservation. 16 (3): 391–397. ISSN 1366-638X. doi:10.1007/s10841-011-9425-4.
- ^ McCullough, Deborah; Raffa, Kenneth; Williamson, R. Chris. "Natural Enemies of Gypsy Moth: The Good Guys!" (PDF). Entomology University of Wisconsin. Michigan State University Extension. Archived from the original (PDF) on 17 June 2010. Retrieved 18 April 2019.
- ^ Fiaboe, Komi K. M. (20 December 2017). "Fiaboe KKM, Fernández-Triana J, Nyamu FW, Agbodzavu KM (2017) Cotesia icipe sp. n., a new Microgastrinae wasp (Hymenoptera, Braconidae) of importance in the biological control of Lepidopteran pests in Africa. Journal of Hymenoptera Research 61: 49–64. DOI 10.3897/jhr.61.21015". Journal of Hymenoptera Research. 61: 49–64. doi:10.3897/jhr.61.21015.
External links edit
- Preliminary evolutionary relationships within the parasitoid wasp genus Cotesia
- Moisset, Beatriz (February 18, 2017). "Genus Cotesia". BugGuide. Retrieved January 4, 2019.
- Hymenoptera Institute. U. Kentucky
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