Cotesia sesamiae ( Cameron , 1906)

Rousse, Pascal & Gupta, Ankita, 2013, Microgastrinae (Hymenoptera: Braconidae) of Reunion Island: a catalogue of the local species, including 18 new taxa and a key to species, Zootaxa 3616 (6), pp. 501-547 : 516-517

Cotesia sesamiae ( Cameron, 1906)

( Figs 7 f, 8e)

Apanteles sesamiae Cameron, 1906: 335 .

Diagnosis. Mesosoma dorso-ventrally depressed, nearly 2x longer than high. Scutellum smooth. Hind coxa strongly punctate dorsally. Antenna of female stout, 0.6x longer than body. Pedicel entirely yellowish. Hind coxa brownish-testaceous.

Description. cf. Van Achterberg and Polaszek, 1996: 65 for details.

Material examined. 2Ƥ St Paul / Tan Rouge, alt. 800m, VI.2011, leg. Cirad; 2Ƥ same location, I.2011, leg. Cirad; 1Ƥ Reunion, 1982, leg. Cirad.

Host records. Fifteen species of Noctuidae and Pyralidae , including the major pests Busseola fusca (Fuller) , Chilo orichalcociliellus (Strand) , C. partellus (Swinhoe) , Eldana saccharina Walker , Maliarpha separattella Ragonot , and Sesamia calamistis Hampson.

Distribution records. Subsaharian Africa, Madagascar, Mauritius. Reunion (Van Achterberg and Polaszek (1996).

Comments. Introduced into Mauritius (1951–1952), Reunion (1953–1955) and Madagascar (date unknown) for the biocontrol of stem borers of Poaceae (Kfir et al. 2002) . Also introduced without establishment into India from Uganda in 1967 for the biocontrol of Chilo spp., Scirpophaga excerptalis (Walker) and Acigona steniellus (Hampson) in sorghum, maize, and sugarcane crops. Inundative releases were made in Maharashtra and Punjab (Rao et al. 1971; Sankaran 1974).

Figures

FIGURE 7. Cotesia spp. a: C. plutellae Kurdjumov, female, habitus; b: C. plutellae, propodeum; c: C. plutellae, terga 2 – 3; d: C. ruficrus Haliday, female, habitus; e: C. ruficrus, terga 2 – 3; f: C. sesamiae Cameron, female, habitus; g: C. flavipes, female, habitus.