Cotesia flavipes Cameron, 1981

Figs 6C, 17

Cotesia flavipes Cameron, 1891: 185 (holotype, ♂, NHMUK).

Apanteles nonagriae Viereck 1913: 645 .

Apanteles flavipes Wilkinson, 1928a: 93 (synonymy with A. nonagriae), see Shenefelt (1972), Yu et al. (2016) and Fernández-Triana et al. (2020) for extra-limital synonyms and notes.

Diagnosis

Cotesia flavipes can be separated from nearly all other species of Cotesia currently described from Australia and Papua New Guinea by the dorsoventrally flattened mesosoma, and can be separated from the closely related Cotesia nonagriae (described from Australia, presence in Papua New Guinea unconfirmed) most easily by molecular data (e.g., Genbank: DQ232336 from India, DQ232335 from Pakistan) (Muirhead et al. 2012; also see under C. nonagriae), and also by the shape of the face projection between the antennal bases. When viewed under SEM, the projection is more prominent and rounded with a relatively smooth margin, compared to C. nonagriae which has the margin tri-lobed and the projection less prominent.

Material examined

Other material

INDONESIA • 1 ♀; Sumatra, Lapung; 2 Jul. 1982; 4965; ex. L. Chilo sacchariphagus (Bojer, 1856); CIE A14465; WINC .

INDIA • 1 ♀; “ H.P. Solan, Deothi”; ex. Chilo partellus (C. Swinhoe, 1885); Sep. 1982; Ram Pratap No.9; CIE A14665; WINC .

Distribution

Cotesia flavipes is a cosmopolitan species which has been introduced into several countries (e.g., Barbados, Brazil, Colombia, Kenya, Mauritius, Peru, Rèunion, South Africa, USA) for biological control purposes (Muirhead et al. 2006). In the Australasian region it is recorded from Papua New Guinea (Muirhead et al. 2012).

Host

Known to parasitise many different species of Noctuidae Latreille, 1809 and Crambidae Latreille, 1810; in Papua New Guinea reared from Sesamia grisecens Warren, 1911 (Noctuidae), gregarious (Muirhead et al. 2006).

Remarks

We include this species in the key due to its presence in Papua New Guinea. Until recently, C. flavipes was recorded as being present in Australia, but the Australian specimens have been identified as C. nonagriae, and this species raised from synonymy (Muirhead et al. 2008). Cotesia flavipes is therefore not currently recorded from Australia, but may possibly be introduced in the future for the control of stem-boring pests.