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ARS Home » Southeast Area » Fort Lauderdale, Florida » Invasive Plant Research Laboratory » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #319106
Title: First report of an egg parasitoid reared from Neomusotima conspurcatalis (Lepidoptera: Crambidae) a biological control agent of Lygodium microphyllum (Schizaeales: Lygodiaceae)

Author
item Lake, Ellen
item GATES, MICHAEL - US Department Of Agriculture (USDA)
item Smith, Melissa
item WITKUS, GLORIA - Former ARS Employee
item PRATT, PAUL - US Department Of Agriculture (USDA)

Submitted to: Florida Entomologist
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 7/20/2015
Publication Date: 12/7/2015
Citation: Lake, E.C., Gates, M.W., Smith, M., Witkus, G.L., Pratt, P.D. 2015. First report of an egg parasitoid reared from Neomusotima conspurcatalis (Lepidoptera: Crambidae) a biological control agent of Lygodium microphyllum (Schizaeales: Lygodiaceae). Florida Entomologist. 98(4)1244:1246.

Interpretive Summary: The brown lygodium moth, Neomusotima conspurcatalis (Lepidoptera: Crambidae) was first released in Florida as a biological control agent of Lygodium microphyllum (Polypodiales: Lygodiaceae), Old World climbing fern, in 2008. The first egg parasitoid, a small wasp in the genus Trichogramma (Hymenoptera: Trichogrammatidae), was reared from N. conspurcatalis in 2013. The parasitoid is widely distributed in south Florida and within egg mass parasitism rates can reach 100%.

Technical Abstract: Neomusotima conspurcatalis (Lepidoptera: Crambidae) was first released in Florida as a biological control agent of Lygodium microphyllum (Polypodiales: Lygodiaceae), Old World climbing fern, in 2008. The first egg parasitoid, a Trichogramma sp. (Hymenoptera: Trichogrammatidae), was reared from N. conspurcatalis in 2013. The parasitoid is widely distributed in south Florida and within egg mass parasitism rates can reach 100%.