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ARS Home » Northeast Area » Beltsville, Maryland (BARC) » Beltsville Agricultural Research Center » Systematic Entomology Laboratory » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #332710
Research Project: Systematics of Parasitic and Herbivorous Wasps of Agricultural Importance

Location: Systematic Entomology Laboratory

Title: Parasitoid wasps (Hymenoptera: Apocrita) associated with Sagittaria latifolia Willd. and Sagittaria platyphylla (Engelm.) J. G. Sm. (Alismatales: Alismataceae) in the Nearctic Region

Author
item Kula, Robert
item Gates, Michael
item Buffington, Matthew
item HARMS, NATHAN - Non ARS Employee

Submitted to: Proceedings of the Entomological Society of Washington
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 4/13/2017
Publication Date: 5/18/2017
Citation: Kula, R.R., Gates, M.W., Buffington, M.L., Harms, N.E. 2017. Parasitoid wasps (Hymenoptera: Apocrita) associated with Sagittaria latifolia Willd. and Sagittaria platyphylla (Engelm.) J. G. Sm. (Alismatales: Alismataceae) in the Nearctic Region. Proceedings of the Entomological Society of Washington. 119(2):215-227.

Interpretive Summary: Parasitic wasps attack pest insects that cause billions of dollars of damage to crops and natural resources annually. They also attack beneficial natural enemies and are pests when they disrupt biocontrol. The wasps treated in this paper parasitize insects herbivorous on an exotic invasive plant in Australia. The weed is targeted for classical biocontrol using herbivorous insects. The wasps were reared from insects feeding on the target weed during exploration in the United States for potential biocontrol agents of the weed. Increased knowledge of these wasps can help determine their impact as biocontrol antagonists. Eleven wasp species, including one hyperparasitoid, are reported in this paper as associated with the target weed for the first time. They are the first records of these species parasitizing herbivorous insects on the target weed and its congeners. New insect host records and new U.S. state distribution records are reported for three wasp species. This paper will be useful to scientists, as well as State and Federal personnel, involved in aquatic weed biocontrol.

Technical Abstract: The results of a survey of parasitoid wasps associated with herbivorous insects on Sagittaria latifolia Willd. and Sagittaria platyphylla (Engelm.) J. G. Sm. (Alismatales: Alismataceae) in the Nearctic Region are reported. The following 10 wasp species were reared from insects on S. platyphylla: Gonatocerus sp., Mestocharis tropicalis Yoshimoto, Syntomopus americanus Ashmead (all Chalcidoidea), Hexacola websteri (Crawford), Rhoptromeris sp. (both Cynipoidea), Alabagrus texanus (Cresson), Bracon sp. nr. mellitor Say, Cotesia diacrisiae (Gahan), Enicospilus glabratus (Say), and Opius (Tolbia) hoffmanni (Fischer) (all Ichneumonoidea). Three wasp species, S. americanus, Chaenusa psillosae Kula (Ichneumonoidea), and B. sp. nr. mellitor, were reared from insects on S. latifolia. All species except C. psillosae are reported as associated with a species of Sagittaria for the first time. Mesochorus discitergus Say is reported as a hyperparasitoid of C. diacrisiae for the first time and is also reported as associated with a species of Sagittaria for the first time. Opius (Tolbia) hoffmanni is reported as a parasitoid of Hydrellia sp. prob. nobilis (Loew); this is the first record of O. (T.) hoffmanni from a species of Hydrellia Robineau-Desvoidy (Diptera: Ephydridae). Mestocharis tropicalis, S. americanus, and O. (T.) hoffmanni are reported from Louisiana for the first time. Syntomopus americanus and O. (T.) hoffmanni are reported from Texas for the first time.