. Bioi. Control. 18(2): 189-194.20(4) rl Research Note a~~ i~'

Parasitoids of some in the Andaman Islands

K. VEENAKUMARI* AND PRASHANTH MOHANRAJ* Central Agricultural Research Institute (leAR) Port Blair, Andaman and Nicobar Islands 744 101, India E-mail: [email protected]

ABSTRACT: During the course of studies on the life histories of insects of the Andaman Islands we observed 38 species of hymenopterous parasitoids belonging to 15 families and one dipteran parasitoid of the family Tachinidae. Eight species of Hraconidae, four species each of Scelionidae, Encyrtidae, and Ichneumonidae, 3 species each of ('teromalidae, Eulophidae and Eupelmidae, 2 species of Bethylidae, one species each of Elasmidae, Eurytomidae, , Ceraphronidae, Chrysididae, Torymidae, Eucharatidae and Tacbillidae are recorded from these islands on different hosts. An undescribed Ooencyrtlls sp. is being recorded from the eggs of the endemic subspecies Elymnias cottonis cottonis. Podagrioll sp., hitherto recorded from man tid oothecae, is recorded on the larvae of two species of for the first time.

KEY WORDS: Andaman Islands. biological control. hyperparasitoids. parasitoids

The Andaman Islands are a group of about beetle (0. rhinoceros Linnaeus) (Jacob, 1996), while 200 Islands in the eastern Indian Ocean flanked by the predatory snails Euglandina rosea (Ferussac) the Indian Mainland to the west, Bunna to the north and Gonaxis quadrilateralis (Preston) were and Burma and Thailand to the east. The Nicobars introduced for the control of Achatina fulica are the southern extension of these Islands. Bowdich, the giant African snail (Srivastava, 1976). Volcanic in origin, these Islands have never been The former proved to be successful, but the latter connected by land bridges to any of these was a failure with the predatory snails failing to neighbouring landmasses (Prashanth and establish. These Islands have however never been Veenakumari, 1996). Though politically a part of used as a source for natural enemies of insect pests. India, their biotic affinities are closer to that of This is probably because the pest and natural enemy Bunnese and Malayan forms. fauna of these islands are very poorly known. As a In the past, some attempts were made to first step, remedial action in this regard would involve the documentation of the insect-natural import agents for the biological control of insect enemy component of these Islands. Over the years, pests to these Is lands. The viral pathogen, while studying the life histories of the insects of Baculovirus oryctes was introduced from mainland these islands we encountered egg and larval India for the control of the coconut rhinoceros

* Present address: Project Directorate of Biological Control, Post Box no. 2491, H. A. Farm Post. Bellary Road. Hebbal. Bangalore 560 024 VEENAKUMARI amI PRASI-IANTI-I

parasitoids as well as some hyperparasitoids of verification (Noyes, 1994). In the Andaman Islands nati ve species of Lepi doptera and a few species of it is a confirmed parasitoid of the endemic danaid Coleoptera and Hemiptera (Tables I and 2). We Eup[oea (Core) andamanel1sis Atkinson. detail the locality of occurrence of these parasitoids Both the pteromal id parasitoids are and establish their host associations. cosmopolitan in distribution known to be associated The majority of the species enumerated are with beetles in stored products. primary internal parasitoids of Lepidoptera while a few belong to Coleoptera, , Melitto/Jia and GonioZlls are gregarious Neuroptera and Diptera. parasitoids that attack a wide range of hosts. Since the former attack hymenopteran species it is the Egg parasitoids latter that is of interest from the biological control point of view as the species in this genus attack The majority of the egg parasitoids could not concealed larvae of a number of Microlepidoptera. be identified (by specialists at the NHM, London) to the species level indicating that at least some of Neanastatus trocilalllericlis emerged from them could be new species. The species of the galls of Dipterocarpus sp. in S. Andaman. N. Oocllc.vrtus from the eggs of the endemic trochal1tericus has been recorded earlier from plant subspecies Elymnias cotton is cottom's is in fact galls on the Indian mainland. They are known to be new and is yet to be described (Noyes, Pers. Comm.). parasitoids of Cecidomyiidae (Diptera) associated The unidentified species of Telellolllils were all generally with grasses and other herbaceous collected from the eggs of butterflies endemic to plants. the Andaman and Nicobar Islands. Pachliopta rllOd~j'er is an endemic papilionid while the others Since all the parasitoids emerged from insects are all subspecies endemic to these islands. reared in capti vity, the host records are beyond doubt. Knowledge of the parasitoid fauna along Leurocerus ovivorliS is an egg parasitoid of with their host and their localities of occurrence is butterflies belonging to the families Amathusiidae essential to enable us to utilize these Islands as a and Satyridae and was so far known to occur only in Malaysia, Indonesia, Hong Kong and southern potential reservoir of natural enemies. As these Islands have biotic affinities with Burma and China (Subba Rao, 1976). This is the first time it is being recorded from India and also from the eggs Southeast Asia, with high degrees of endemism in of a non-butterfly host. certain groups, it is necessary to focus studies on the insect natural enemies present here. With this Larval parasitoids knowledge we could select species or superior strains of natural enemies different from those on It is interesting to note that some larval the Indian mainland, which could be exploited in parasitoids like Cotesia glomerata, Charops pest management programmes. This study strongly ObtllSUS and Glyptapanteles colemani have earlier suggests the presence of new species of natural been recorded from mainland India. G. coiemani, enemies, which may be of value in the biological hitherto thought to be confined to mainland India control of crop pests once their potential as agents is being recorded from a place other than the Indian for control is assessed. While studies on the natural mainland for the first time. enemies of insects on these islands are to be Cotesia glomerata is an extremely intensified. the Nicobar Islands too should be widespread species known from the Palaearctic, studied on the same Ii nes as they have biotic Indian and Atlstralian regions. Although it has been elements that are different from that of the recorded from a number of lepidopteran hosts, Andamans as well as mainland India and so are many of these are dubious records requiri ng likely to yield novelties.

190 Parasitoids of some insects

Table 1. Egg parasitoids of some insects in South Andaman

Natural enemy Host Period of Locality occurrence HYMENOPTERA Scelionidae Telelloll1us sp. (AllOlcllS group) PaciJliopta a rist%chiae gOlliopelfis July - Oct. Garacharllla Rothschild (Lepidoptera: Papilionidae)

Pachliopta rllOdifer Butler Nov.. Jan. Garacharma (Lepidoptera: Papilionidae) Mt. Harriet Tele/wllllts sp. EIYIllllias cottoni,\' cof(ollis Hcwitson Oct. . Nov. Garacharma (Lepidoptera: Satyridae) Mt. Harriet AlIlbadra rqfflesi Moore Oct. - Nov. Garacharma (Lepidoptera: Notodontidae) PoiYllra schreiber lisamellus Fruhstorfer May - July Chidiyatapu (Lepidoptera: N ymphalidae) Telel1o/llus "!seyc/tellellsis Kieffer Dysphallia amlamana Moore Apr. - Jan. Garacharma (Lepidoptera: Geometridae) Mt. Harriet Unidentified Hemiptera July· Aug. Garacharma Telellomus remus Nixon Scirpophaga incertulas (Walker) July - Sept. Bloomsdale (Lepidoptera: Pyralidae)

Pteromalidae TricllOmalopsis apanteloctena Borba cilll1ara Wallace June - July Bloomsdale (1. C. Crawford) (Lepidoptera: Hesperiidae)

Eupelmidae Gen. et sp. indet. Lebeda sp. June - July Garacharma (Lepidoptera: Lasiocampidae) Mt. Harriet Anastatus sp. Paralebeda sp. June - July Mt. Harriet (Lepidoptera: Lasiocampidae) Elymnias cottonis couonis Hewitson Oct. - Nov. Garacharma (Lepidoptera: Satyridae) Mt. Harriet

Encyrtidae Ooellcyrtus sp. (undescribed) E1YlIll1ias cottonis cotton is Hewitson Oct. - Nov. Garacharma (Lepidoptera: Satyridae) Mt. Harriet

Leurocerus ovivorus Crawford Ambadra raffiesi Moore Oct. - Nov. Garacharma (Lepidoptera: Notodontidae)

191 VEENAKUMARI and PRASHANTH

Table 2. Larval and pupal parasitoids of some insects in South Andaman

Natural enemy Host Period of Locality occurrence

HYMENOPTERA I'teromalidae Dil/arlllllS basalis (Rondani) Bruchidills chillensis (Thunberg) Sept. - Oct. Garacharma (Coleoptera: Bruchidae) Theoco/ax e/cgal1s (Westwood) Zoophiles zeamais Motschulsky Aug.-Sep. Garacharma (Coleoptera: Curculionidae) Euliphidae Eliplectrus sp. EIYIIlllias cotton is cotton is Hewitson Oct. - Nov. Garacharma (Lepidoptera: Satyridae) Mt. Harriet Pediobills ?agaristae (Cameron) Euphrates sp. July-Aug. Garacharma (Lepidoptera: Lymantriidae) Melittobia {lllstralica Girault Sliballcistrocerus sichelii (Saussure) Apr. - May Garacharma (Hymenoptera: Vespidae) Elasmidae E/aslIIlIs sp. Eriolloll/ thrax thrax L. Sept.-Nov. Garacharma E. acrolellca Wood-Mason and de Nicevi lie (Lepidoptera: Hesperiidae) Parotis margiflata (Hampson) June- July Garacharma (Lepidoptera: Pyralidae) Ichneumonidae Clwrops obtllsllS Morley Elymllias cottonis cotton is Hewitson Oct.-Nov. Garacharma (Lepidoptera: Nymphalidae) Mt. Harriet

Enicospillis sp. jocosatrix Guenee Garacharma (Lepidoptera: Pyralidae) Trathala sp. Herpetogramma bipllnctalis (F.) July Garacharma (Lepidoptera: Pyra] idae) ?Venturia sp. ? Lepidopterous larvae on Aug. Garacharna Dipterocarpus sp. Eupelmidae

Neanastatlls trochantericus Gahan From galls of Dipterocarpus sp. Sept. Garacharma Eurytomidae Eurytonla sp. ?Cryptophlebia sp. Mar.-Apr. Manjeri (Lepidoptera: Tortricidae) Cryptophlebia sp. Mar.-Apr. Manjeri (Lepidoptera: Tortricidae) Braconidae Pycnobracon mutator (Fabricius) Lycangesia longipalpis (Swinhoe) May Wright Myo (Lepidoptera: ) Cotesia glomerata (Linnaeus) Euploea (Core) {lildamanensis Atkinson Oct.-Dec. Garacharma (Lepidoptera: Nymphalidae) Mt. Harriet Chidiyatapu Aleiodes percurrens Lyle Condica sp. July Garacharma (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) Aleiodes sp. Hemithea sp. Apr. - May Manjcri (Lepidoptera: Gcometridae)

192 Parasitoids of some insects

Table 2a. Larval and pupal parasitoids of some insects in south Andaman

Natural enemies Host Period of Locality occurrence Glyptapanteles colemalli (Viereck) Euproctis sp. July - Aug. Garacharma (Lepidoptera: Lymantriidae) Phanerotoma sp. Scoparia sp. July - Aug. Manjeri (Lepidoptera: Pyralidae) Bracon sp. Matapa sp. Nov. - Dec. Mt. Harriet (Lepidoptera: Hesperiidae) ?Cryptophlebia sp. Mar. - Apr. Manjeri (Lepidoptera: Tortricidae) Microgastrinae Gen. et sp. indet. Mascelia sp.nr. ectophoea Hampson Mar. - Apr. Chidiyatapu (Lepi doptera: Pyralidae) Ceraphronidae Aphanogmus manilae (Ashmead) Apallteles sp. on Thosea andamanica Feb. Garacharma Holloway (Hyperparasitoid) Chalcididae Brachymeria sp. lndomyrlaea sp. Mar. - Apr. Sippighat (Lepidoptera: Pyralidae) BethyJidae GOlliozus sp. Homona permutata Meyrick Aug. - Sept. Garacharma (Lepidoptera: Tortricidae) Apenesia sp. (Coleoptera: Cerambycidae) Aug. -Sept. Garacharma Chrysididae

Praestochrysis shanghaiellsis Thosea andamanica Holloway Oct. - Nov. Garacharma (F. Smith) (Lepidoptera: Limacodidae) Mt. Harriet Encyrtidae

Copidosomyia ambiguous Chrysopidae Nov. - Jan. Garacharma (Subba Rao) (Pupal parasitoid) Genus et. sp. indet. (Diptera: Syrphidae) July - Aug. Chidiyatapu Torymidae

Podagrioll sp. lndomyrlaea sp. Mar. - Apr. Sippighat (Lepidoptera: Pyralidae) Neplzopterix sp. June - Oct. Garacharma (Lepidoptera: Pyralidae) Eucharitidae

Schizaspidia sp. Ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) June Sippighat DIPTERA Tachinidae

Palexorista sp. Agrills convolvuli L. July Garacharma (Lepidoptera: Sphingidae)

193 VEENAKUMARJ and PRASIJANTII

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Noyes, J. S. 1994. The reliability of published host­ parasitoid records: a taxonomists' view. NOl1vegiul/ We are thankful to Dr. A.K. Bandyopadhyay, Journal oj Agricultural Science. Supplement No. former Director, Central Agricultural Research 16: 59-69. Institute, Port Blair. for encouragement and facilities. We thank Dr. P. L. Tandon for his valuable Prashanth. M. and Veenakumari. K. I 996. Perspectives suggestions. which hclpcd in improving this paper on the zoogeography of the Al1llaman and Nicobar considerahly. Islands. India. Malayan Nature JOIlr/wl. 50: 99-106. REFERENCES Srivastava, P. D. 1976. The giant A frican snail Aclwlinll fitlica Bowdich and its control. Proceedings (~l Jacob, T. K. 1996. Introduction and establishment of National Academy ofSciellces. Illdia, 46: 60-64. baculovi rus for the control of rhi noceros beetle Oryctl's rhinoceros (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae) in Subba Ran. B. R. 1971. New genera and species of the Andaman Islands (India). BIII/etin of encyrtids (Hymenoptera: Encyrtidae). joul'I1a/ (4 Entomological Research. 86: 257-262. Nalliral History. 5: 209-224.

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