Cotesia urabae

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Cotesia urabae
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Hymenoptera
Family: Braconidae
Genus: Cotesia
Species:C. urabae
Binomial name
Cotesia urabae
Austin & Allen

Cotesia urabae is a small (2.5-3.2 mm long) wasp, having a black body with yellow-brown legs, characterized by a solitary larval endoparasitoid stage (Austin and Allen, 1989). It is part of a large complex of 11 primary parasitoids of Uraba lugens Walker, many of which are polyphagous (Allen, 1990a, 1990b). The female inserts its ovipositor into the a U. lugens larva, depositing its eggs there, and it has been found that one female may carry up to 400 eggs (Allen, 1989). While C. urabae females are able to attack the same larva several times; only one single parasitoid completes its development in each larva (Berndt, 2010).

Parasitoid organism that spends a significant portion of its life history attached to or within a single host organism in a relationship where the host is ultimately killed

A parasitoid is an organism that lives in close association with its host and at the host's expense, and which sooner or later kills it. 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.

<i>Uraba lugens</i> species of insect

Uraba lugens, the gum-leaf skeletoniser, is a moth of the family Nolidae. It is found in Australia and New Zealand. The larvae are a serious pest of Eucalyptus species and their close relatives. The wingspan is 25–30 mm. In Australia there are about one or two generations per year.

Once the C. urabae larvae emerges from the host larvae, a tightly woven sulphur-yellow pupal cocoon in a loose surrounding silk matrix is spun by C. urabae to pupate alongside the host (Allen, 1990a). There is considerable variation in the time that the larval stage spends developing inside the host, and it ranges between 14 days in summer and 20 days in winter. The adults’ emergence takes place after 8 days pupation, when a cap is cut and pushed off at the end of the cocoons allowing the adult to emerge and disperse. The adult lives for approximately 27 days (Allen, 1990b). It has been described that C. urabae has 2 generations within each generation of its host U. lugens, and no overlapping of adults of each C. urabae generation has been observed in the field (Allen, 1990a).

Cotesia urabae was introduced in New Zealand in 2011 as a biological control agent against the eucalyptus pest Uraba lugens, commonly known as the gum leaf skeletoniser (Avila et al. 2013). The biological control of the gum leaf skeletonizer is a novel biocontrol program, being the first attempt at control of this invasive moth in New Zealand. It has been predicted that C. urabae will lead to a considerable decrease on the existing population of U. lugens, along with providing several social and economic benefits (Avila et al. 2013).

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Braconidae family of insects

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Microgastrinae subfamily of insects

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Cheloninae subfamily of insects

The Cheloninae are a cosmopolitan subfamily of braconid parasitoid wasps.

<i>Metacrias erichrysa</i> species of insect

Metacrias erichrysa is a species of moth of the family Erebidae. It is endemic to New Zealand. This species can be found in the lower half of the North Island and western alpine areas of the South Island. The female of the species is flightless and buff coloured whereas the male is brightly coloured and a rapid flier.

<i>Spathius agrili</i> species of insect

Spathius agrili is a parasitic non-stinging wasp of family Braconidae which is native to North Asia. It is a parasitoid of the emerald ash borer, an invasive species which has destroyed tens of millions of ash trees in its introduced range in North America. As part of the campaign against the emerald ash borer (EAB), American scientists in conjunction with the Chinese Academy of Forestry began searching in 2003 for its natural enemies in the wild, leading to the discovery of several parasitoid wasp species, including Spathius agrili. S. agrili was discovered in Tianjin, China where it is a prevalent prevalent parasitoid of EAB larvae in stands of an introduced ash species, and an endemic ash species. S. agrili has been recorded to attack and kill up to 90 percent of EAB larvae.

Dinocampus coccinellae is a braconid wasp parasite of coccinellid beetles, including the spotted lady beetle, Coleomegilla maculata. D. coccinellae has been described as turning its ladybird host into a temporary "zombie" guarding the wasp cocoon. About 25% of ladybirds recover after the cocoon they are guarding matures.

<i>Cotesia glomerata</i> species of insect

Cotesia glomerata, the white butterfly parasite, is a small parasitic wasp species belonging to family Braconidae.

Lysibia nana is a hyperparasitoid wasp that attacks the parasitoid wasp Cotesia glomerata.

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

Aphidius nigripes is a species of parasitoid wasp in the subfamily Aphidiinae of the family Braconidae. It is the most common parasitoid of the potato aphid Macrosiphum euphorbiae in eastern North America. Many other species of aphids may also serve as hosts.

<i>Chrysis viridula</i> species of insect

Chrysis viridula is a Western Palearctic species of cuckoo wasp, first described by Carl Linnaeus in 1761. Chrysis viridula is included in the genus Chrysis, and the family Chrysididae. It is a parasitoid of a number of species of eumenid wasp, mainly thse in the genus Odynerus.

Hybrizon is the only extant genus in the subfamily Hybrizontinae of ichneumonid parasitoid wasps. The subfamily was previously called Paxylommatinae, and has in the past been considered part Braconidae, or a separate family altogether.

Nealiolus curculionis is a species of parasitic wasp in the family Braconidae. It is a parasitoid of the sunflower stem weevil Cylindrocopturus adspersus, and a number of other species of stem-boring weevils.

References

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