A new species ofDiolcogaster(Hymenoptera: Braconidae) from Brazil of potential use in the biological control of the pestHypercompe brasiliensis (Stoll) (Lepidoptera: Erebidae)

Species of Diolcogaster parasitize Lepidoptera pests of commercial plants. The diversity of this genus is high, but few species of Diolcogaster have been described. The description of a new Diolcogaster species provides information for the biological control using this insect. This study presents th...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inSystematic parasitology Vol. 101; no. 4; p. 44
Main Authors Salgado-Neto, Geraldo, dos Santos, Alvaro D., Pereira, Rozimar C., de S. Tavares, Wagner, Zanuncio, José C.
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published Dordrecht Springer Netherlands 01.08.2024
Springer Nature B.V
Subjects
Agriculture
Animal Anatomy
Animal Ecology
Animal Systematics/Taxonomy/Biogeography
Biological control
Biomedical and Life Sciences
Histology
Lepidoptera
Life Sciences
Mitochondrial DNA
Morphology
New species
Zoology
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Summary:Species of Diolcogaster parasitize Lepidoptera pests of commercial plants. The diversity of this genus is high, but few species of Diolcogaster have been described. The description of a new Diolcogaster species provides information for the biological control using this insect. This study presents the description and key notes on the biology of a new Diolcogaster parasitoid wasp. This species was reared from a caterpillar of Hypercompe brasiliensis collected after feeding on a Gloxinia perennis plant important to floriculture. Two complementary identification analyzes were performed on Diolcogaster adult bodies. The first was the analyses of its external morphology and the second its molecular analysis (mitochondrial DNA). The morphological analysis defined the insect as a new species of Diolcogaster , named Diolcogaster joanesi sp. nov. A maximum-likelihood (ML) analysis partially confirmed the morphological analysis, placing D. joanesi within a cluster including a previously identified species ( Diolcogaster choi ) and seven other morphospecies. The proximity of D. joanesi to D. choi is discussed and an updated key for all New World species of the xanthaspis group is provided. Twenty-eight adult wasps were obtained (22 females and six males) out of 50 cocoons which larvae emerged from the caterpillar host. The findings contribute to the broader understanding of Diolcogaster in the Neotropics and its potential for the biological control of lepidopteran defoliators.
ISSN:0165-5752
1573-5192
DOI:10.1007/s11230-024-10168-x