The gregarious parasitoid Cotesia flavipes displays a high level of preadaptation to a novel host, Diatraea indigenella

Abstract

Cotesia flavipes Cameron (Hymenoptera: Braconidae) is often augmented against Diatraea spp. (Lepidoptera: Crambidae) stem borers in the Americas. Diatraea indigenella Dyar and Heinrich, an endemic pest of sugarcane in southern Colombia, represents a novel host for C. flavipes. We examined the development of C. flavipes on D. indigenella and D. saccharalis, a familiar host, when larvae were stung by one, two or three wasps. Host species had no effect on parasitism success, immature parasitoid mortality, parasitoid developmental time, adult emergence, or female size. Superparasitized D. indigenella hosts yielded more cocoons, more adults, and more female wasps than those parasitized with a single sting, or from D. saccharalis hosts. However, wasp survival and longevity declined when host larvae were stung three times. Thus, D. indigenella was a more suitable host for C. flavipes when superparasitized, and appears suitable for augmentation against this emergent pest and other Diatraea species attacking sugarcane.