Copidosoma

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Copidosoma
202112 Copidosoma floridanum.svg
Copidosoma floridanum
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Hymenoptera
Family: Encyrtidae
Subfamily: Encyrtinae
Genus: Copidosoma
Ratzeburg, 1844
Type species
Copidosma boucheanum
Ratzeburg, 1844
Species

209 (see text for notable examples) [1]

Synonyms

Copidosoma is a genus of chalcid wasps, which are parasitoids of Lepidoptera. [2] The wasps are polyembryonic, depositing one or two eggs into their host which then develop into multiple offspring and have a soldier caste and a reproductive caste.

Contents

Species and biology

Copidosoma has over 200 species, according to the Natural History Museum of London's Universal Chalcidoidea Database. [1] Among these is Copidosoma floridanum , known for having the largest recorded brood of any parasitoidal insect, at 3,055 individuals, [2] and for having its genome sequenced by the Human Genome Sequencing Center as part of the i5K project. [3]

They are mainly polyembryonic parasitoids of the caterpillars of Lepidoptera and have been deliberately introduced into many areas as biological control agents for agricultural pests, e.g. Copidosoma floridanum was introduced to Hawaii to control the tomato looper ( Chrysodeixis chalcites ) while Copidosoma koehleri is used extensively in control of the potato tuber moth ( Phthorimaea operculella ) and Copidosoma primulum has been used in China to control the cotton bollworm ( Helicoverpa armigera ) in wheat crops. [4]

The wasps of the genus Copidosoma are also of interest because they are polyembryonic, i.e. more than one embryo can be found in a single egg, and they have developed a caste system where an embryo can develop into a reproductive adult or a soldier caste. [4] The wasp lays its egg into the host moth's egg and after the caterpillar hatches it undergoes a number of instar stages until it reaches its final instar and during this time the wasp's egg produces as many as 3000 embryos through cloning, these form an assemblage called a polymorula and live as endoparasitoids in the host. [4]

In a study on C. floridanum 24% of the members in the polymorula, of either sex, develop in to soldiers and when the host is killed in its final instar these soldiers die too while their siblings consume the host and pupate to emerge as adults around two weeks later. Like other Hymenoptera the females are produced from fertilised eggs and the males from unfertilised eggs, female eggs produce a higher number of soldiers throughout development while male eggs produce fewer and only in the later stages of the cycle. Where there is more than one brood, where more than one egg has been laid in a host the soldier caste from the first female brood will kill all any larvae from subsequent eggs laid, except that if a male brood is older and from a different mother then the females will co-exist with the males. It appears that the early emerging female soldiers purpose is inter-specific competition, they ensure that the first female brood has the host to themselves by killing other non related and females and related and younger males, while the later soldiers are produced to defend the host from intra-specific competitors and are produced by both sexes, although male soldiers of C. floridanum lack aggression and their production may be a trait which is being selected against. [5]

Most species of this genus are quite host specific and use a few species of moth as their hosts and phylogenetic analysis indicates that the more closely related the species of wasp are to one another the more similar the species of host selected tend to be. For example the wasps of the species group named after Copidosoma cervius are all parasitoids of moths in the family Geometridae while those in the nacoliae species group attack caterpillars of the families Pyralidae and Tortricidae. [4]

Others of note

Species

List of Copidosoma species

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chalcid wasp</span> Superfamily of wasps

Chalcid wasps are insects within the superfamily Chalcidoidea, part of the order Hymenoptera. The superfamily contains some 22,500 known species, and an estimated total diversity of more than 500,000 species, meaning the vast majority have yet to be discovered and described. The name "chalcid" is often confused with the name "chalcidid", though the latter refers strictly to one constituent family, the Chalcididae, rather than the superfamily as a whole; accordingly, most recent publications (e.g.,) use the name "chalcidoid" when referring to members of the superfamily.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Parasitoid</span> Organism that lives with its host and kills it

In evolutionary ecology, a parasitoid is an organism that lives in close association with its host at the host's expense, eventually resulting in the death of the host. Parasitoidism is one of six major evolutionary strategies within parasitism, distinguished by the fatal prognosis for the host, which makes the strategy close to predation.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fairyfly</span> Family of wasps

The Mymaridae, commonly known as fairyflies or fairy wasps, are a family of chalcidoid wasps found in temperate and tropical regions throughout the world. The family contains around 100 genera with 1,400 species.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Parasitoid wasp</span> Group of wasps

Parasitoid wasps are a large group of hymenopteran superfamilies, with all but the wood wasps (Orussoidea) being in the wasp-waisted Apocrita. As parasitoids, they lay their eggs on or in the bodies of other arthropods, sooner or later causing the death of these hosts. Different species specialise in hosts from different insect orders, most often Lepidoptera, though some select beetles, flies, or bugs; the spider wasps (Pompilidae) exclusively attack spiders. More rarely, parasitoid wasps may use plant seeds as hosts, such as Torymus druparum.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Eucharitidae</span> Family of wasps

The Eucharitidae are a family of parasitic wasps. Eucharitid wasps are members of the superfamily Chalcidoidea and consist of three subfamilies: Oraseminae, Eucharitinae, and Gollumiellinae. Most of the 55 genera and 417 species of Eucharitidae are members of the subfamilies Oraseminae and Eucharitinae, and are found in tropical regions of the world.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Encyrtidae</span> Family of wasps

Encyrtidae is a large family of parasitic wasps, with some 3710 described species in about 455 genera. The larvae of the majority are primary parasitoids on Hemiptera, though other hosts are attacked, and details of the life history can be variable. They are found throughout the world in virtually all habitats, and are extremely important as biological control agents. They may also present as an ecological threat to the population of some species. For example, the endangered Papilio homerus butterfly is parasitized at a rate of 77%, making them the main contributor to egg mortality in this butterfly species.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Leucospidae</span> Group of wasps

The Leucospidae are a specialized group of wasps within the superfamily Chalcidoidea, that are ectoparasitoids of aculeate wasps or bees. They are typically mimics of bees or stinging wasps, often black with yellow, red, or white markings, sometimes metallic, with a robust mesosoma and very strong sculpturing. The hind femora are often greatly enlarged, with a row of teeth or serrations along the lower margin as in Chalcididae. The wing has a longitudinal fold. The female ovipositor is sometimes short, but if not, it is recurved and lies along the dorsal side of the metasoma, a unique feature. The males are also unusual, in the fusion of many of the metasomal segments to form a capsule-like "carapace".

<i>Nasonia</i> Genus of wasps

Nasonia are a genus of small pteromalid parasitoid wasps that sting and lay eggs in the pupae of various flies. The fly species that Nasonia usually parasitize are primarily blow flies and flesh flies, making Nasonia a useful tool for biocontrol of these pest flies. The small match-head sized wasps are also referred to as jewel wasps based on the emerald sheen of their exoskeleton.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mediterranean flour moth</span> Species of moth

The Mediterranean flour moth or mill moth is a moth of the family Pyralidae. It is a common pest of cereal grains, especially flour. This moth is found throughout the world, especially in countries with temperate climates. It prefers warm temperatures for more rapid development, but it can survive a wide range of temperatures.

Polyembryony is the phenomenon of two or more embryos developing from a single fertilized egg. Due to the embryos resulting from the same egg, the embryos are identical to one another, but are genetically diverse from the parents. The genetic difference between the offspring and the parents, but the similarity among siblings, are significant distinctions between polyembryony and the process of budding and typical sexual reproduction. Polyembryony can occur in humans, resulting in identical twins, though the process is random and at a low frequency. Polyembryony occurs regularly in many species of vertebrates, invertebrates, and plants.

<i>Glyptapanteles</i> Genus of wasps

Glyptapanteles is a genus of endoparasitoid wasps found in all continents, except Antarctica. The larvae of Glyptapanteles species are able to manipulate their hosts into serving as bodyguards.

<i>Ardices canescens</i> Species of moth

Ardices canescens, the dark-spotted tiger moth or light ermine moth, is a moth in the family Erebidae that is found across most of Australia. It originally was included in the genus Spilosoma, but later the generic status of Ardices was proven.

<i>Euplectrus</i> Genus of wasps

Euplectrus is a genus of hymenopteran insects of the family Eulophidae.

<i>Melittobia</i> Genus of wasps

Melittobia is a genus of hymenopteran insects of the family Eulophidae.

<i>Ammophila sabulosa</i> Species of wasp

Ammophila sabulosa, the red-banded sand wasp, is a species of the subfamily Ammophilinae of the solitary hunting wasp family Sphecidae, also called digger wasps. Found across Eurasia, the parasitoid wasp is notable for the mass provisioning behaviour of the females, hunting caterpillars mainly on sunny days, paralysing them with a sting, and burying them in a burrow with a single egg. The species is also remarkable for the extent to which females parasitise their own species, either stealing prey from nests of other females to provision their own nests, or in brood parasitism, removing the other female's egg and laying one of her own instead.

<i>Copidosoma floridanum</i> Species of wasp

Copidosoma floridanum is a species of wasp in the family Encyrtidae which is primarily a parasitoid of moths in the subfamily Plusiinae. It has the largest recorded brood of any parasitoidal insect, at 3,055 individuals. The life cycle begins when a female oviposits into the eggs of a suitable host species, laying one or two eggs per host. Each egg divides repeatedly and develops into a brood of multiple individuals, a phenomenon called polyembryony. The larvae grow inside their host, breaking free at the end of the host's own larval stage.

Cotesia rubecula is a parasitoid wasp from the large wasp family Braconidae.

<i>Dahlbominus fuscipennis</i> Species of wasp

Dahlbominus fuscipennis, the sawfly parasitic wasp, is a species of chalcid wasp from the family Eulophidae which parasitizes the European pine sawfly Neodiprion sertifer, among other hosts. It is the only species in the genus Dahlbominus.

Trichogramma japonicum is a minute wasp parasitoid from the Trichogrammatidae family in the order Hymenoptera. T. japonicum parasitizes the eggs of many pest species, especially Lepidoptera found in many monocultures. They are entomophagous parasitoids that deposit their eggs inside the host species' egg, consuming the host egg material and emerging from the egg once development is complete. T. japonicum can be found naturally in rice ecosystems, but are dispersed commercially to many monocultures as a biological control. The mitochondrial genomes of T. japonicum are significantly rearranged when comparing it to related insects.

<i>Hemileuca lucina</i> Species of moth

Hemileuca lucina, the New England buck moth, is a species of moth in the family Saturniidae. This moth species is only found in the New England region of the United States. Larvae in early stages mainly feed on broadleaf meadowsweet whereas larvae in later stages show variation in food sources such as blackberry and black cherry leaves. Larvae have a black body with orange/black spines on their back that are used to deter predators. Pupation occurs during the summer and adult moths come out around September.

References

  1. 1 2 Noyes, John S. (June 2012). "Species in genus Copidosoma". Universal Chalcidoidea Database. Natural History Museum, London . Retrieved 3 September 2013.
  2. 1 2 Alvarez, Juan Manuel (15 April 1997). "Chapter 26: Largest Parasitoid Brood". Book of Insect Records. University of Florida . Retrieved 3 September 2013.
  3. Strand, Michael. "i5K: Copidosoma floridanum". Human Genome Sequencing Center . Baylor College of Medicine . Retrieved 3 September 2013.
  4. 1 2 3 4 Fang Yu; Fu Quiang-Shen; Shen Horn-Yen; et al. (2014). "Preliminary phylogeny of the genus Copidosoma (Hymenoptera, Encyrtidae), polyembryonic parasitoids of Lepidoptera". Systematic Entomology. 39 (2): 325–334. doi:10.1111/syen.12057. S2CID   84062943.
  5. David Giron; Jeffrey A Harvey; Jena Anne Johnson; Michael R Strand (2007). "Male soldier caste larvae are non-aggressive in the polyembryonic wasp Copidosoma floridanum". Biology Letters. The Royal Society. 3 (4): 431–434. doi:10.1098/rsbl.2007.0199. PMC   2390675 . PMID   17535791.
  6. "Universal Chalcidoidea Database: Synonymic list". London: Natural History Museum.