Indo-Australian Region Research Articles

Quaternary coral reef refugia preserved fish diversity.

The most prominent pattern in global marine biogeography is the biodiversity peak in the Indo-Australian Archipelago. Yet the processes that underpin this pattern are still actively debated. By reconstructing global marine paleoenvironments over the past 3 million years on the basis of sediment cores, we assessed the extent to which Quaternary climate fluctuations can explain global variation in current reef fish richness. Comparing global historical coral reef habitat availability with the present-day distribution of 6316 reef fish species, we find that distance from stable coral reef habitats during historical periods of habitat loss explains 62% of the variation in fish richness, outweighing present-day environmental factors. Our results highlight the importance of habitat persistence during periods of climate change for preserving marine biodiversity.

Genetic structure and diversity of two highly vulnerable carcharhinids in Australian waters

Molecular techniques were employed to investigate genetic structure and diversity in dusky Carcharhinus obscurusand sandbar C. plumbeussharks in the Indo-Australian region. Tissue samples of 423 C. obscurusand 442 C. plumbeusdefined 18 and 11 mtDNA ND4 haplo- types, respectively. For C. obscurus, weak genetic differentiation was detected be tween eastern and western Australian waters (pairwise Φ ST = 0.04437, p 100 at any particular location. Off Australia's temperate east coast, C. obscurusand C. plumbeusexhibited strong sim- ilarities in genetic structure, suggestive of similar evolutionary histories in the region. In addition, genetic validation revealed observers to be highly accurate in the identification of both target spe- cies in an eastern Australian shark fishery. Our findings contribute valuable information for the management and conservation of both species.

Changes in ITCZ location and cross-equatorial heat transport at the Last Glacial Maximum, Heinrich Stadial 1, and the mid-Holocene

Tropical paleoclimate records provide important insights into the response of precipitation patterns and the Hadley circulation to past climate changes. Paleo-records are commonly interpreted as indicating north–south shifts of the Intertropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ), with the ITCZ's mean position moving toward the warmer hemisphere in response to changes in cross-equatorial temperature gradients. Though a number of records in tropical Central and South America, North Africa, Asia and the Indo-Australian region are consistent with this interpretation, the magnitudes and regional variability of past ITCZ shifts are poorly constrained. Combining estimates of past tropical sea surface temperature (SST) gradients with the strong linear relationship observed between zonally averaged ITCZ position and tropical SST gradients in the modern seasonal cycle and in models of past climates, we quantify past shifts in zonally averaged ITCZ position. We find that mean ITCZ shifts are likely less than 1° latitude during the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM), Heinrich Stadial 1 (HS1) and mid-Holocene (6 ka) climates, with the largest shift during HS1. The ITCZ's position is closely tied to heat transport between the hemispheres by the atmosphere and ocean; accordingly, these small mean ITCZ shifts are associated with relatively large (∼0.1–0.4 PW) changes in cross-equatorial atmospheric heat transport (AHTEQ). These AHTEQ changes point to changes in cross-equatorial ocean heat transport or net radiative fluxes of the opposite sign. During HS1, the increase in northward AHTEQ is large enough to compensate for a partial or total shutdown in northward heat transport by the Atlantic Ocean's meridional overturning circulation. The large AHTEQ response for small changes in mean ITCZ position places limits on the magnitude of past shifts in the globally averaged ITCZ. Large (⩾5°) meridional displacements of the ITCZ inferred from regional compilations of proxy records must be limited in their zonal extent, and ITCZ shifts at other longitudes must be near zero, for the global mean shift to remain ⩽1° as suggested by our results. Our examination of model results and modern observations supports variable regional and seasonal changes in ITCZ precipitation. This work thus highlights the importance of a dense network of tropical precipitation reconstructions to document the regional and seasonal heterogeneity of ITCZ responses to past climate changes.

Review of the species of Visiana Swinhoe from the Papua New Guinea region (Lepidoptera: Geometridae: Larentiinae)

The genus isiana Swinhoe which belongs to the subfamily Larentiinae (Lepidoptera: Geometridae) is widely distributed within the Indo-Australian region. The present study is the first extensive review of historic Visiana specimens from the Papua New Guinea region deposited in the Natural History Museum (London, UK) and Australian National Insect Collection (Canberra, Australia). The species examined are as follows: V. hyperctenista (Prout) from the Bismarck Archipelago, V. vinosa (Warren) from the eastern part of Papua New Guinea, V. ranensis (Prout), stat. nov. from the Moluccas (Indonesia), and four newly described species V. horista, sp. nov. from Bougainville Island, V. grandivinosa sp. nov. from New Britain, V. variovinosa, sp. nov. from the eastern part of Papua New Guinea, and V. morobensis, sp. nov. from the Morobe province. The lectotype is designated for V. hyperctienista. Redescriptions of V. hyperctenista, V. vinosa and V. ranensis are provided, the four new species are described, figures of all seven species are shown. The species V. hyperctenista and V. horista are treated as a sister-group, the diagnostic characters are defined. A checklist of the known Papuan species of the genus Visiana is provided.

Anastrephaegg deposition induces volatiles in fruits that attract the parasitoidFopius arisanus

Fopius arisanus is a solitary egg-pupal endoparasitoid that attacks several species of tephritid fruit flies, particularly Bactrocera spp. This species, indigenous from the Indo-Australian region, was introduced into Mexico for biological control purposes. From the standpoint of the 'new associations' concept this parasitoid has been evaluated against fruit flies in the Anastrepha complex. We investigated the specificity of F. arisanus responses to fruits infested with two species of Anastrepha. We examined whether fruit volatiles attractive to this parasitoid are induced as a result of fruit fly oviposition. We also investigated whether F. arisanus females are able to discriminate between the oviposition-induced volatiles from host eggs parasitised by conspecifics and volatiles from unparasitised eggs. All experiments were performed in a wind tunnel. Results showed that mango fruits infested with A. ludens eggs (2-3 days after egg deposition) were significantly more attractive to naïve F. arisanus females compared with non-infested fruits or fruits infested with larvae. In addition, guava fruits harbouring A. striata eggs were significantly more attractive to the parasitoid than non-infested fruits or fruits infested with larvae. Thus, the parasitoid was attracted to fruits with eggs, but fruit and fly species did not influence the parasitoid attraction. We also found that F. arisanus females were more attracted to fruits exposed to fertile A. ludens females (i.e. fruits with eggs inside) compared with fruits exposed to sterile females (i.e. fruits with no eggs inside) or fruits with mechanical damage. Parasitoid females were not attracted to A. ludens eggs. The results suggest that the presence of eggs induces volatiles that attract parasitoids. Finally, we found that F. arisanus was able to discriminate between fruits with unparasitised eggs vs. eggs parasitised by conspecifics, indicating that host discrimination could be mediated by olfactory cues.

A new species of Coccipolipus (Acari: Podapolipidae) parasitic on the giant coccinellid beetle from India

Coccipolipus synonychae sp. nov. (Acari: Podapolipidae) is described from the giant coccinellid beetle, Synonycha grandis (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae), from Bangalore, India, and is compared with the closely related species of Coccipolipus cooremani, Coccipolipus chilocori, Coccipolipus micraspisi and other species. This is the first record of a new Coccipolipus species from the Indo-Australian region.

The ant genus Tetramorium Mayr (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) in the Malagasy region—introduction, definition of species groups, and revision of the T. bicarinatum, T. obesum, T. sericeiventre and T. tosii species groups

The globally distributed ant genus Tetramorium Mayr is especially diverse in the Afrotropical, Oriental, and Indo-Australian regions, while the Malagasy fauna, by contrast, seemed to be comparatively species-poor. However, recent ant inventories in Madagascar and its surrounding island systems have generated an immense amount of new material. As a result, there is now a great need of an updated taxonomic revision for the genus Tetramorium in this region. The present study represents an introduction to the genus, and treats the species groups encountered in the Malagasy region. All former species groups were redefined, and several new groups were established, in order to accommodate the substantial amount of new material. We propose 14 species groups of Tetramorium for this region. Morphological boundaries between these groups and their biogeographic affinities are discussed, and an illustrated identification key to species groups is provided. Diagnoses of all species groups are presented, as well as images of typical group members. Additionally, the species level taxonomy of the T. bicarinatum, T. obesum, T. sericeiventre and T. tosii species groups is revised with descriptions and images of all species, and an identification key to the species of the T. bicarinatum group is provided. No nomenclatorial changes are documented from the T. bicarinatum, T. obesum, and T. tosii groups. However, within the T. sericeiventre species group, one new species, T. mahafaly sp. n., is described and T. quadrispinosum Emery, 1886 and all its former synonyms are proposed as junior synonyms of T. sericeiventre Emery, 1877. At present, there are still 39 valid species of Tetramorium for the Malagasy region, but this number is expected to increase significantly with upcoming taxonomic revisions of the species groups not revised in this study.

A check list of the ant genus Crematogaster in Asia (Hymenoptera: Formicidae)

A check list of the Asian species of the ant genus Crematogater is presented. The list covers the species-group names of the genus in Asia including the biogeographical areas of the eastern part of the Palearctic Region, the Oriental Region, and the western part of the Indo-Australian Region. A total of 206 names, comprising 145 species and 61 subspecies, is recognized. The list also provides information on the distribution.

First Record of The AntRhopalothrix weberi(Hymenoptera: Formicidae: Myrmicinae) for Mexico

The genus Rhopalothrix Mayr is a member of the monophyletic tribe Basicerotini (Bolton 1998). It is a rare group of ants with 10 known species, 7 of which are distributed across Central and South America and the rest in the Indo-Aus tralian region. The biology of this genus is not well known, but it seems to exhibit the same predatory habits as other members of the tribe; the few basicerotines whose habits are known are predators of small, soft-bodied arthropods (Wil son 1956; Brown & Kempf 1960; Wilson & Brown 1985; Longino 1999). Ants of this genus have 7-segmented antennae that, when reclined against the head in their nor mal position, are sustained on the antenn?i scrobes that run beneath the eyes. Their mandi bles are slender and elongate; when completely shut, they remain separated due to a cavity that runs along most of their length and touches only at the tips. These ants are similar to Eurhopalo thrix, but with thinner, more elongate, triangular jaws. In this paper we report the first record of Rho palothrix weberi Brown and Kempf for Mexico. Until now, the only known record of the genus in this country was for R. stannardi in the state of Chiapas (Brown & Kempf 1960). During a sam pling project to study the ant fauna associated with patches of cloud forest in the central part of the state of Veracruz, 1 worker of this species was collected from a litter sample processed in Win kler bags. Although we processed more than 120 samples of litter from cloud forest and coffee plan tations in this zone, only 1 specimen was ob tained. The collection of these ants tends to be quite scattered; as in this case, they are generally found as isolated individuals obtained from litter samples processed in Winkler traps or Berlesse funnels (Longino 1999; Brown & Kempf 1960). The R. weberi worker was collected near El Olmo, situated on the road between Teocelo and Ixhuacan de Los Reyes in the municipality of the same name (latitude 19 20 5 ; longitude 97?01' 42W), at an altitude of 1300 m (Aug 12, 2008, J. Valenzuela Col.). It was sampled in a patch of cloud forest of about 8 ha located on hilltops sur rounded by coffee plantations. The ant was identified with keys and descrip tions provided by Brown & Kempf (1960) as well as Weber's original description of this species, as Heptastruma wheeleri (Weber 1934). The speci men has the following features characteristic of the description of R. weberi. The dorsum of head with a pair of well-defined transverse ridges; clypeus without conspicuous subappressed, oval setae; labrum with a deep median cleft or notch that extends inward from its apex nearly to its midlength with rounded lateral lobes (Fig. 1);

The discovery of Megalota in the Neotropics, with a revision of the New World species (Lepidoptera: Tortricidae: Olethreutini)

Megalota Diakonoff, previously known from the Indoaustralian Region (India, Sri Lanka, New Guinea, and Australia), Madagascar, and Africa, is reported from the Neotropics for the first time. Three previously described New World species (i.e., Megalota submicans (Walsingham), n. comb.; M. delphinosema (Walsingham), n. comb.; and M. plenana (Walker), n. comb.) were concealed within incorrect generic assignments or as “unplaced” species (i.e., lacking contemporary generic assignments). Twenty-one new species are described and illustrated: M. synchysis (TL: Venezuela), M. peruviana (Peru), M. aquilonaris (Mexico), M. vulgaris (Costa Rica), M. cacaulana (Brazil), M. macrosocia (Ecuador), M. ochreoapex (Costa Rica), M. spinulosa (Costa Rica), M. simpliciana (Costa Rica), M. jamaicana (Jamaica), M. ricana (Costa Rica), M. ceratovalva (Venezuela), M. bicolorana (Costa Rica), M. longisetana (Costa Rica), M. deceptana (Costa Rica), M. crassana (Costa Rica), M. gutierrezi (Costa Rica), M. chamelana (Mexico), M. beckeri (Brazil), M. flintana (Brazil), and M. pastranai (Argentina). Males of the genus are characterized by three distinctive features of the genitalia: the uncus consists of a pair of greatly expanded, flattened, variably round or square lobes, densely covered with spines and setae; the valvae are narrow with an elongate, apically spined process arising from the base of the costa; and the juxta is membranous with a narrowly sclerotized Uor J-shaped posterior edge. Five species have been reared from Croton spp. (Euphorbiaceae) in Costa Rica, and this is consistent with a single record of this host for an Australian species of Megalota.

A recent shark radiation: Molecular phylogeny, biogeography and speciation of wobbegong sharks (family: Orectolobidae)

The elasmobranch fish are an ancient, evolutionarily successful, but under-researched vertebrate group, particularly in regard to their recent evolutionary history. Their lineage has survived four mass extinction events and most present day taxa are thought to be derived from Mesozoic forms. Here we present a molecular phylogenetic analysis of the family Orectolobidae that provides evidence for recent events of diversification in this shark group. Species interrelationships in Orectolobidae were reconstructed based on four mitochondrial and nuclear genes. In line with previous morphological work, our results do not support current taxonomic arrangements in Orectolobidae and indicate that a taxonomic revision of the family is warranted. We propose that the onset of diversification of orectolobid sharks is of Miocene age and occurred within the Indo-Australian region. Surprisingly, we also find evidence for a recent (∼last 2 million years) and rapid radiation of wobbegong sharks. Allopatric speciation followed by range expansion seems like the general most likely explanation to account for wobbegong relationships and distributions. We suggest that the evolution of this shark group was mostly influenced by two temporal scenarios of diversification. The oldest relates to major geological changes in the Indo-West Pacific associated with the Miocene collision of the Indo-Australian and Eurasian plates. The most recent scenario was influenced by changes in oceanography and the emergence of biogeographic barriers related to Pleistocene glacial cycles in Australian waters.

African Dacus (Diptera: Tephritidae: Molecular data and host plant associations do not corroborate morphology based classifications

The genus Dacus Fabricius includes economically important pest fruit flies distributed in the Afrotropical and Indo-Australian regions. Two recent revisions based on morphological characters proposed new and partially discordant classifications synonymizing/revalidating several subgeneric names and forming species groups. Regardless these efforts, the phylogenetic relationships among Dacus species remained largely unresolved mainly because of the difficulties in assigning homologous character states. Therefore we investigated the phylogeny of African Dacus by sequencing 71 representatives of 32 species at two mitochondrial (COI, 16S) and one nuclear ( period) gene fragments. Phylogenetic relationships were inferred through Bayesian and Maximum Parsimony methods and hypotheses about the monophyly of Dacus subgenera were tested by Shimodaira–Hasegawa tests. The congruence tests and the analyses of the single gene fragments revealed that the nuclear gene supports similar conclusions as the two mitochondrial genes. Levels of intra- and inter-specific differentiation of Dacus species were highly variable and, in some cases, largely overlapping. The analyses of the concatenated dataset resolved two major bootstrap-supported groups as well as a number of well-supported clades and subclades that often comprised representatives of different subgenera. Additionally, specimens of Dacus humeralis from Eastern and Western African localities formed separate clades, suggesting cryptic differentiation within this taxon. The comparisons between the molecular phylogeny and the morphological classification revealed a number of discrepancies and, in the vast majority of cases, the molecular data were not compatible with the monophyly of the currently recognised subgenera. Conversely, the molecular data showed that Apocynaceae feeders are a monophyletic sister group of species feeding on both Cucurbitaceae and Passifloraceae (these latter being also monophyletic). These results show a clear association between the molecular phylogeny of African Dacus and the evolution of host plant choice and provide a basis towards a more congruent taxonomy of this genus.

Taxonomic supplement to a revision of Omadius Laporte 1836 (Mawdsley 2006) (Coleoptera: Cleridae)

A supplement to the recent revision of Omadius Laporte 1836 (Mawdsley 2006) is presented. Ten species are treated: Omadius radulifer Gorham 1876 species reinstated is removed from synonymy with O. obscuripennis (Gorham 1876); O. scapularis (Gorham 1876) new combination is transferred from Stigmatium Gray 1832; O. chapaensis Pic 1927, O. curticollis Pic 1933, O. diversipes Pic 1933, O. nigrohumeralis Pic 1926, O. paulonotatus Pic 1946 and O. rufithorax Pic 1933 are confirmed as belonging to Omadius; and O. alishanus Nakane 1996 (missed by Mawdsley) plus the recently described O. santo Gerstmeier & Schmidl 2007 are also added. All ten species are re-described and integrated into Mawdsley’s key. The biogeographic situation and the biodiversity of Omadius in the Indo-Australian region are briefly discussed.

A physically-based statistical forecast model for the middle-lower reaches of the Yangtze River Valley summer rainfall

A new approach to forecast the middle-lower reaches of the Yangtze River Valley summer rainfall in June–August (JJA) is proposed in this paper. The year-to-year increment of the middle-lower reaches of the Yangtze River Valley is forecasted and hence the summer precipitation could be predicted. In this paper, DY is defined as the difference of a variable between the current year and the preceding year (year-to-year increment). YR denotes the seasonal mean precipitation rate of the middle-lower reaches of the Yangtze River Valley summer rainfall. After analyzing the atmospheric circulation anomalies in winter and spring that were associated with the DY of YR, six key predictors for the DY of YR have been identified. Then the forecast model for the DY of YR is established by using the multi-linear regression method. The predictors for the DY of YR are Antarctic Oscillation, the meridional wind shear between 850hPa and 200hPa over the Indo-Australian region, and so on. The prediction model shows a high skill for the hindcast during 1997–2006, with the average relative root mean square error is at 18%. The model can even reproduce the upward and downward trends of YR during 1984–1998 and 1998–2006. Considering that the current operational forecast models of the summer precipitation over the China region have the average forecast scores at 60%–70% and that the prediction skill for the middle-lower reaches of Yangtze River Valley summer precipitation remains quite limited up to now, thus this new approach to predict the year-to-year increment of the summer precipitation over the Yangtze River Valley (and hence the summer precipitation itself) has the potential to significantly increase the operational forecast skill of the summer precipitation.

Three new legskates of the genus Sinobatis (Rajoidei: Anacanthobatidae) from the Indo–West Pacific

Three new species of legskates (Anacanthobatidae) are described from the Indo–Australian region. Two of these species conform to the subgenus Sinobatis Hulley of Anacanthobatis von Bonde & Swart, which is herein elevated to genus level based primarily on clasper morphology. Sinobatis presently includes S. borneensis (South China Sea and Taiwan) and possibly S. melanosoma (East and South China Seas and Taiwan), as well as the new species, S. bulbicauda sp. nov. (eastern Indonesia and northwestern Australia, SE Indian Ocean) and S. filicauda sp. nov. (northeastern Australia, SE Pacific Ocean). The third new species, S. caerulea sp. nov. (northwestern Australia, SE Indian Ocean), is provisionally placed in Sinobatis in the absence of an adult male. The new species are distinguishable from each other, and from nominal Indo–Pacific legskates, based on their morphometrics, meristics, tail morphology and coloration. Legskates exhibit marked intraspecific variation in shape associated with their soft, flexible bodies, and considerable ontogenetic and sexual differentiation.

Odonata of Yap, Western Caroline Islands, Micronesia

Fifteen species of Odonata are recorded from Yap, Micronesia—two Zygoptera and 13 Anisoptera. None is endemic to Yap. Hemicordulia lulico occurs elsewhere only in Palau, whereas most of the other species are widespread in the western Pacific and Indo-Australian regions. Macrodiplax cora and Tramea loewi, both recorded by Lieftinck in 1962, were the only species not encountered during this study; Tramea loewi remains known in Micronesia only from a single male collected in Yap by R. J. Goss in 1950. Six of the breeding species in Yap that are widespread in Indo-Australia occur no farther east in the Caroline Islands except possibly as unusual extralimital records in the cases of Agriocnemis femina and Neurothemis terminata; the four other species reaching only as far east as Yap are Anaciaeschna jaspidea, Agrionoptera insignis, Orthetrum serapia, and Rhyothemis phyllis. Orthetrum serapia is reported from Micronesia for the first time, although a very old single specimen record of O. sabina from Tobi Island may possibly pertain to O. serapia. The odonate fauna of the outer islands of Yap State is poorly known; only six species have been recorded from among four of the 15 island groups. In addition, Tramea transmarina euryale rather than T. t. propinqua was found to be the subspecies occurring in the Chuuk Islands, contrary to earlier publications.

New Records of Butterflies (Lepidoptera) from the Eastern Caroline Islands, Micronesia

Twenty-three new locality records are presented for nine species of butterflies (Lepidoptera) from 11 islands and island groups in the eastern Caroline Islands, Micronesia. None is endemic; most occur widely in the Indo-Australian region and the islands of the western Pacific. The Lycaenidae were the most well-represented family with at least eight species. The nymphalid Hypolimnas bolina was the most frequently encountered species, occurring on all 11 island groups. Pakin Atoll, which was visited on two different occasions for a total of 5 days, was the only island group visited during this study where butterflies were not seen.

Comparative studies on the influence of relative humidity and temperature on life table parameters of two populations of Cotesia flavipes (Hymenoptera: Braconidae)

Cotesia flavipes Cameron (Hymenoptera: Braconidae) is a gregarious larval koinobiont parasitoid of gramineous stemborers from the Indo-Australian region. More recently, it has been introduced into several countries in East and southern Africa for regulation of Chilo partellus (Swinhoe) (Lepidoptera: Crambidae). Establishment has varied from country to country and within country, suggesting that abiotic factors, such as temperature and relative humidity, may influence parasitoid performance. In this work, the effect of temperature and relative humidity on life table parameters of two populations of C. flavipes were measured. The results indicated that the factors and their interactions significantly affected the population growth of C. flavipes. The intrinsic rate of increase of the North Pakistan population of Cotesia flavipes was higher than that of the Indian population at all humidities at 28°C, but there were no differences at other temperatures or humidities.

A re-examination of 11 species of Otostigmus from the Indo-Australian region described by R. V. Chamberlin based on type specimens in the collection of the Museum of Comparative Zoology, Harvard (Chilopoda; Scolopendromorpha; Scolopendridae)

As a contribution to a revision of the scolopendromorph centipede subgenus Otostigmus of the genus Otostigmus, the type specimens of 11 species described by R. V. Chamberlin from the Indo-Australian region and in the collection of the Museum of Comparative Zoology at Harvard have been redescribed. Of these 11, six are junior synonyms of other Otostigmus species, one is a junior synonym of Rhysida longipes longipes (Newport, 1845) and one a nomen dubium. Only three, namely, Otostigmus amballae Chamberlin, 1913, Otostigmus proponens Chamberlin, 1920 and Otostigmus pamuanus Chamberlin, 1920 are valid.

Release of Cotesia flavipes Cameron for biological control of cereal stemborers in two ecological zones in Mozambique

Cotesia flavipes Cameron (Hymenoptera: Braconidae), a gregarious larval endoparasitoid of Chilo Partellus (Swinhoe) (Lepidoptera: Crambidae) and other stemborers in the Indo-Australian region, was released in Mozambique for the first time in 1996. Before its release, countrywide surveys on stemborers and their natural enemies were conducted in several places. However, all led to the same conclusion: that Ch. partelhis was the most abundant stemborer at the majority of locations, and that the rate of larval parasitism was very low (< 5 %). To evaluate the effect of stemborer species composition on the establishment of Co. flavipes, two releases were made at two agroecologically different sites during the 1998/1999 and 1999/2000 growing seasons. Cotesia flavipes was recovered from all the three stemborer species found at each site during the season of release and a year later. However, the rates of parasitism were very low, ranging from 0.6 to 1.9 % on Ch. partelhis, 3.2 % on Sesamia calamistis Hampson (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) and 2.6 % on Busseola fusca Fuller (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae). The native natural enemy, Cotesia sesamiae (Cameron) (Hymenoptera: Braconidae) was the most common larval parasitoid at the two sites. The recoveries of Co. flavipes during the release period and a year later indicate that this exotic parasitoid has become established at the two locations in the southern and central regipns of Mozambique, in spite of differences in stemborer species composition. However, it is too early to evaluate the impact of Co. flavipes on the stemborer populations.