Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

On the parasitoid complex of butterflies with descriptions of two new species of parasitic wasps (Hymenoptera: Eulophidae) from Goa, India

  • Published:
Systematic Parasitology Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

In comprehensive rearing of butterflies from Goa, India, an interesting parasitoid complex of wasps and tachinid flies was found. Two new species of parasitic wasps are described and illustrated: Tetrastichus thetisae n. sp. (Hymenoptera: Eulophidae), a gregarious parasitoid reared from the pupa of Curetis thetis (Drury) (Lepidoptera: Lycaenidae) on the host plant Derris sp., and Sympiesis thyrsisae n. sp. (Hymenoptera: Eulophidae), a gregarious parasitoid reared from the caterpillar of Gangara thyrsis (Fabricius) (Lepidoptera: Hesperiidae) on the host plant Cocos nucifera L. Additionally, the following host-parasitoid associations are recorded: Amblypodia anita Hewitson (Lepidoptera: Lycaenidae) with Parapanteles sp. (Hymenoptera: Braconidae); Coladenia indrani (Moore) (Lepidoptera: Hesperiidae) with Sympiesis sp. (Hymenoptera: Eulophidae); Danaus chrysippus L. (Lepidoptera: Nymphalidae) with Sturmia convergens (Wiedemann) (Diptera: Tachinidae); Idea malabarica Moore (Lepidoptera: Nymphalidae) with Brachymeria sp. (Hymenoptera: Chalcididae) and Palexorista sp. (Diptera: Tachinidae); Notocrypta curvifascia Felder & Felder (Lepidoptera: Hesperiidae) with Cotesia erionotae (Wilkinson) (Hymenoptera: Braconidae); and Rapala sp. (Lepidoptera: Lycaenidae) with an inominate species close to Aplomya spp. (Diptera: Tachinidae). This discovery is the first record of Tetrastichus as parasitoid of Curetis thetis, Sympiesis as parasitoid of Gangara thyrsis and Coladenia indrani, Brachymeria and Palexorista as parasitoids of Idea malabarica, and Cotesia erionotae as parasitoid of Notocrypta curvifascia. Data on habitat, brief diagnoses and host records for all parasitoids are provided.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2
Fig. 3
Fig. 4
Fig. 5
Fig. 6
Fig. 7
Fig. 8
Fig. 9
Fig. 10
Fig. 11
Fig. 12
Fig. 13

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Bouček, Z. (1988). Australasian Chalcidoidea (Hymenoptera). A biosystematic revision of genera of fourteen families, with a reclassification of species. Wallingford, UK: CAB International, 832 pp.

  • Crosskey, R. W. (1976). A taxonomic conspectus of the Tachinidae (Diptera) of the Oriental Region. Bulletin of the British Museum (Natural History) Entomology Supplement, 26, 1–357.

    Google Scholar 

  • Miller, C. D. (1970). The Nearctic species of Pnigalio and Sympiesis (Hymenoptera: Eulophidae). Memoirs of the Entomological Society of Canada, 102 (Suppl. S68), 5–121.

  • Narendran, T. C. (1989). Oriental Chalcididae (Hymenoptera: Chalcidoidea). Department of Zoology, University of Calicut, 441 pp.

  • Narendran, T. C. (2007). Indian chalcidoid parasitoids of the Tetrastichinae (Hymenoptera: Eulophidae). Records of the Zoological Survey of India, Occasional Paper No 272, Kolkata: Zoological Survey of India, 386 pp.

  • Narendran, T. C. (2011). Fauna of India, Eulophinae (Hymenoptera: Eulophidae). Kolkata: Zoological Survey of India, 442 pp.

  • Noyes, J. S. (2015). Universal Chalcidoidea Database. World Wide Web electronic publication. http://www.nhm.ac.uk/chalcidoids. Last accessed on 2 June 2015.

  • Rangnekar, P., & Dharwadkar, O. (2009). Three additions to the known butterfly (Lepidoptera: Rhopalocera and Grypocera) fauna of Goa, India. Journal of Threatened Taxa, 1, 298–299.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Valerio, A. A., Whitfield, J. B., & Janzen, D. H. (2009). Review of world Parapanteles Ashmead (Hymenoptera: Braconidae: Microgastrinae), with description of fourteen new Neotropical species and the first description of the final instar larvae. Zootaxa, 2084, 1–49.

    Google Scholar 

  • Verma, M., Hayat, M., & Kazmi, S. I. (2002). The species of Elasmus from India (Hymenoptera: Chalcidoidea: Eulophidae). Oriental Insects, 36, 255.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wilkinson, D. S. (1928). A revision of the Indo-Australian species of the genus Apanteles (Hym. Bracon.). Part II. Bulletin of Entomological Research, 19, 109–146.

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgements

AG thanks the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) and Dr. Abraham Verghese (Director, ICAR-NBAIR) for research encouragement and for providing necessary facilities. Taxonomic studies were undertaken under the Network project on Insect Biosystematics funded by ICAR. Tachinid identification aid from Dr. Nigel Wyatt, NHM, London and Dr. C. A. Viraktamath, UAS-Bangalore, India is kindly acknowledged.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. National Bureau of Agricultural Insect Resources, Post Bag No. 2491, H. A. Farm Post, Bellary Road, Hebbal, Bangalore, Karnataka, 560024, India

    Ankita Gupta

  2. Department of Ecology and Environmental Sciences, Pondicherry University, Pondicherry, 605014, India

    Sandesh M. Gawas

  3. Atreya Vedic Farm, Bondu Mol, Mollem, Goa, 403410, India

    Ravindra Bhambure

Authors
  1. Ankita Gupta
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Sandesh M. Gawas
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Ravindra Bhambure
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Ankita Gupta.

Ethics declarations

Conflict of interest

The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

Ethical approval

All applicable institutional, national and international guidelines for the care and use of animals were followed.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Gupta, A., Gawas, S.M. & Bhambure, R. On the parasitoid complex of butterflies with descriptions of two new species of parasitic wasps (Hymenoptera: Eulophidae) from Goa, India. Syst Parasitol 92, 223–240 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11230-015-9596-6

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11230-015-9596-6

Keywords

Search

Navigation