http://dx.doi.org/10.1590/1519-6984.04914 Original Article Redescription of Campoletis sonorensis (Cameron, 1886) (Hymenoptera, Ichneumonidae, Campopleginae), parasitoid of Spodoptera frugiperda (J. E. Smith, 1797) (Lepidoptera, Noctuidae) in Brazil L. F. Camargoa*, R. A. Britob and A. M. Penteado-Diasc aPrograma de Pós-Graduação em Ecologia e Recursos Naturais, Universidade Federal de São Carlos – UFSCar, Rodovia Washington Luiz, Km 235, CEP 13565-905, São Carlos, SP, Brazil bDepartamento de Genética e Evolução, Universidade Federal de São Carlos – UFSCar, Rodovia Washington Luiz, Km 235, CEP 13565-905, São Carlos, SP, Brazil cDepartamento de Ecologia e Biologia Evolutiva, Universidade Federal de São Carlos – UFSCar, Rodovia Washington Luiz, Km 235, CEP 13565-905, São Carlos, SP, Brazil *e-mail: [email protected] Received: March 19, 2014 – Accepted: June 25, 2014 – Distributed: November 30, 2015 (With 30 figures) Abstract The fall armyworm Spodoptera frugiperda (Lepidoptera; Noctuidae) is a voracious pest of numerous crops of economic importance throughout the New World. In Brazil, its larvae are attacked by several species of parasitoid wasps, making them potential candidate as biological control agents against this pest. A survey of the parasitoid fauna on S. frugiperda in maize crops throughout Brazil reveals two species of Campoletis, which are morphologicaly very similar species. In this paper we combine these data with pictures from the type material of C. sonorensis and C. flavicincta, as well as their descriptions to provide a redescription to Campoletis sonorensis (Cameron, 1886) using for this both morphological characters and DNA Barcoding (Hebert et al., 2003) information, in an attempt to help with the correct identification of the taxa to improve biological control studies. Keywords: agriculture, molecular biology, economic importance, morphology, taxonomy. Redescrição de Campoletis sonorensis (Cameron, 1886) (Hymenoptera, Ichneumonidae, Campopleginae), parasitoide de Spodoptera frugiperda (J. E. Smith, 1797) (Lepidoptera, Noctuidae) no Brasil Resumo Spodoptera frugiperda é uma praga voraz de diversas culturas de importância econômica no Novo Mundo. No Brasil, suas larvas podem ser atacadas por diversas espécies de vespas parasitóides que são candidatos a agentes de controle biológico contra essa praga. Pesquisando os parasitóides da fauna de Spodoptera frugiperda em cultivos de milho no Brasil foram encontradas duas espécies do gênero Campoletis, muito similares morfologicamente. Este trabalho apresenta uma redescrição para Campoletis sonorensis usando caracteres morfológicos e DNA Barcoding (Hebert et al., 2003) com o objetivo de evitar erros de identificação desse grupo, aprimorando estudos de controle biológico. Palavras-chave: agricultura, biologia molecular, importância econômica, morfologia, taxonomia. 1. Introduction The genus Campoletis Foerster (Hymenoptera, of this genus have a wide geographic distribution, occurring Ichneumonidae: Campopleginae: Campoplegini) includes from North to South America (McCutcheon, 1991; Lucchini various species that are parasitoids of Noctuidae larvae and Almeida, 1980). Campoletis currently comprises six (Lepidoptera) therefore being a relevant taxa for biological recognized species in the neotropical region, most of which control (Porter, 1998; Virla et al., 1999). This genus occur in open habitats (Townes, 1970). contains a very large number of species some of which are Campoletis sonorenis (Cameron, 1886) and C. flavicincta morphologically very conservative, which makes its species (Ashmed, 1890) are morphologically similar and frequently delimitation considerably difficult (Townes, 1970). Species confused. Carlson (1972) proposed C. perdistincta as a Braz. J. Biol., 2015, vol. 75, no. 4, pp. 989-998 989 Camargo, L.F., Brito, R.A. and Penteado-Dias, A.M. synonym of C. flavicincta, mentioning that C. sonorensis ornithogalli (Guenée, 1852) (Lepidoptera, Noctuidae), was misidentified asCampoletis perdistincta. Syngrapha epigaea (Grote, 1874) (Lepidoptera, Noctuidae), After Viereck, Campoletis sonorensis has one synonym Trichoplusia ni (Hübner, [1803]) (Lepidoptera, Noctuidae), as Campoletis websteri. It was reported to occur in Udea rubigalis (Guenée, 1854) (Lepidoptera,Crambidae) Bermuda, Brazil, Chile, Honduras, Mexico and United (Yu et al., 2012). States with the following hosts species: Anthocharis midea Campoletis flavicincta is cited as an important natural (Hubner, [1809]) (Lepidoptera, Pieridae), Autographa enemy of Spodoptera frugiperda, known as the main corn californica (Speyer, 1875) (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae), pest in the American continent (Cruz, 1995) that can reduces Colias eurytheme Boisduval, 1832 (Lepidoptera, Pieridae), corn production in more than 50% (Cruz and Turpin, 1982, Copitarsia incommode (Walker, 1865) (Lepidoptera, 1983; Figueiredo et al., 2006). It is an endoparasitoid Noctuidae), Eoreuma loftini (Dyar, 1917) (Lepidoptera, of first and second instars of Noctuidae larvae which Crambidae), Helicoverpa zea (Boddie, 1850) (Lepidoptera, reduce their leaf consumption to 6,9% (Cruz et al., 1997; Noctuidae), Heliothis phloxiphaga Grote & Robinson, 1867 Matrangolo et al., 2007). (Lepidoptera, Noctuidae), Heliothis virescens (Fabricius, A complete, accurate knowledge about the taxonomy 1777) (Lepidoptera, Noctuidae), Hypena scabra (Fabricius, and biology of natural enemies is essential to ensure the 1798) (Lepidoptera, Erebidae), Peridroma saucia (Hübner, efficiency of biological control. The use of taxonomical [1808]) (Lepidoptera, Noctuidae), Pseudoplusia includes and molecular techniques could solve misidentification, (Walker, [1858]1857) (Lepidoptera, Noctuidae), Rachiplusia allowing studies on the biology of this important specie nu (Guenée, 1852) (Lepidoptera, Noctuidae), Schinia bina for biological control. (Guenée, 1852) (Lepidoptera, Noctuidae), Schinia chrysellus DNA Barcoding is a standard gene sequence for the (Grote, 1874) (Lepidoptera, Noctuidae), Spodoptera exigua identification of species being a useful tool for the taxonomy (Hübner, [1808]) (Lepidoptera, Noctuidae), Spodoptera of complicated species. That sequence is a fragment belonging frugiperda (Smith, 1797) (Lepidoptera, Noctuidae), to the cytochrome c oxidase subunit 1 (COI) gene which Spodoptera ornithogalli (Guenée, 1852) (Lepidoptera, usually allows discriminating closely related animal species Noctuidae), Trichoplusia ni (Hübner, [1803]) (Lepidoptera, (Smith et al., 2009; Hebert et al., 2003; Floyd et al., 2002). Noctuidae) (Yu et al., 2012). Hebert et al. (2003) was able to discriminate closely related Campoletis flavicincta has already had the synonyms: species of lepidopterans, a group with high species diversity Limneria flavicincta Ashmead (1890), Amorphota nocturna and moderate rates of molecular evolution. The COI has Viereck (1905), Limnerium perdistinctus (Viereck, 1905), two important advantages, first the universal primers for Limnerium prodeniar Viereck (1911), Sagaritis modestus this gene are very robust recovering of its 5’ end from (Viereck, 1925, 1926), Sagaritis trochanteralis (Viereck, representatives of most animal phyla (Folmer et al., 1994; 1925, 1926) and Sagaritis twinni (Viereck, 1925, 1926). Zhang and Hewitt, 1997); second it has a great range of This species occurs in Brasil, Canada, Honduras, Mexico, phylogenetic signal (Knowlton and Weigt, 1998). Nicaragua, Peru, United States and Uruguay and has In this work we studied specimens of Campoletis been recorded on the following hosts: Achyra rantalis emerged from larvae of Spodoptera frugiperda, from (Guenée, 1854) (Lepidoptera, Crambidae), Agrotis three different regions of the Brazil. These wasps were ipsilon (Hufnagel, 1766) (Lepidoptera, Noctuidae), morphologically and molecularly characterized using the Agrotis subterranean (Fabricius, 1794) (Lepidoptera, barcoding locus in order to assess their species boundaries. Noctuidae), Colias eurytheme Boisduval, 1832 (Lepidoptera, This represents the first complete morphological study for Pieridae), Dargida procinctus (Grote, 1873) (Lepidoptera, a species of Campoletis. Noctuidae), Euxoa messoria (Harris, 1841) (Lepidoptera, Noctuidae), Helicoverpa armigera (Hübner, [1809]) 2. Material and Methods (Lepidoptera, Noctuidae), Helicoverpa zea (Boddie, 1850) (Lepidoptera, Noctuidae), Heliothis virescens (Fabricius, Parasitoid wasps were reared in laboratory from 1777) (Lepidoptera, Noctuidae), Hypena scabra (Fabricius, Spodoptera frugiperda specimens collected on corn field 1798) (Lepidoptera, Erebidae), Lacinipolia stricta (Walker, in Santa Maria (RS), Ribeirão Preto (SP) and Sete Lagoas 1865) (Lepidoptera, Noctuidae), Manduca quinquemaculata (MG). All specimens were preserved in 100% ethanol and (Haworth, 1803) (Lepidoptera, Sphingidae), Ostrinia nubilalis deposited at the “Coleção Taxonômica do Departamento (Hübner, 1796) (Lepidoptera, Cambridae), Phthorimaea de Ecologia e Biologia Evolutiva, Universidade Federal operculella (Zeller, 1873) (Lepidoptera, Gelechiidae), de São Carlos, São Carlos”, SP, Brazil (DCBU) (as shown Pieris rapae (Linnaeus, 1758) (Lepidoptera, Pieridae), in Table 1). Pseudaletia sequax Franclemont, 1951 (Lepidoptera, Specimens were identified to genus level usingTownes Noctuidae), Pseudaletia unipuncta (Haworth, 1809) (1970) key, as well as the original description of C. flavicincta (Lepidoptera, Noctuidae), Sesamia inferens (Walker, 1856) (Ashmead, 1890) and C. sonorensis (Cameron, 1886). (Lepidoptera, Noctuidae),