Identity of parasitoid wasps (Hymenoptera, Braconidae and Eulophidae) reared from aquatic leaf-mining flies (Diptera, Ephydridae) on invasive Brazilian waterweed Egeria densa in South Africa

By

Van Noort, Simon
Smith, Rosali
Coetzee, Julie A.

Type

Article

Date of Publication

2021-3-9

Original Publication

African invertebrates : a journal of biodiversity research

Volume

62

Series / Issue

Issue: 1

Pages

287--314

Subjects

Ademon , Alysiinae , Aquatic weeds , biocontrol , Chaenusa , Entedoninae , Hydrellia egeriae , Hydrocharitaceae , Janicharis , Opiinae

Contributed by

Pensoft Publishers

Language

English

Published by

Pietermaritzburg, South Africa Council of the Natal Museum 2001-

Identifiers

DOI: https://doi.org/10.3897/afrinvertebr.62.62842

 

Abstract

The Brazilian waterweed,Egeria densaPlanchon, 1849 (Hydrocharitaceae), is an invasive species in South Africa where it is a host plant for the aquatic leaf-minerHydrellia egeriaeRodrigues-Júnior, 2015 (Ephydridae, Diptera). Efficacy of the biocontrol agent can potentially be affected by parasitoids. Three species of braconid parasitoid wasps were reared from puparia ofHydrellia egeriae. By comparison with the type specimens, these species have been determined to beAdemon lagarosiphonaevan Achterberg, 2012 (Braconidae: Opiinae),Chaenusa anervatavan Achterberg, 2012 andChaenusa seminervatavan Achterberg, 2012 (Braconidae: Alysiinae: Dacnusini), all previously recorded as parasitoids of an ephydrid dipterous aquatic leaf-miner,Hydrellia lagarosiphonDeeming, 2012, onLagarosiphon major(Ridley, 1886) Moss ex Wager (Hydrocharitaceae) in South Africa. The chalcidoid,Janicharis africanusGumovsky & Delvare, 2006 (Eulophidae), was also reared fromHydrellia egeriaeand is possibly a hyperparasitoid of the braconids. South Africa is a new country record forJ. africanus. We provide comprehensive images of all species including the braconid types and illustrated identification keys to the Afrotropical species of the two braconid genera are also provided. All images and online keys are available on WaspWeb (http://www.waspweb.org).