Scientific name

Cotesia flavipes Cameron (=Apanteles flavipes (Cameron))

Taxonomic position

Hymenoptera: Braconidae: Microgastrinae

Diagnosis

  • Body length approximately 2 mm.
  • Female antenna robust, conspicuously shorter than body (Fig. 1, 3); male antenna (Fig. 3) longer than body, nearly all segments longer than broad.
  • Mesosoma strongly compresseed dorsoventrally, broader than high in cross section.
  • Tegulae yellowish Disc of scutellum shiny, at least partially punctate but not coarsely sculptured.
  • Posterior coxae mostly yellowish, weakly sculptured on outer faces.
  • Inner spur of hind tibia approximately same length as outer, and less than half as long as hind basitarsus (Fig. 4, 5d).
  • Metasoma not strongly compressed laterally (less than 4X as long as broad in dorsal view).
  • First three metasomal tergites completely black.
  • First metasomal tergite broadening apically; second metasomal tergite coarsely sculptured, with straight hind margin (Fig. 5b); third metasomal tergum smooth or sculptured only at extreme anterior margin.
  • Gregarious cocoons, white, irregularly arranged near host.
 Fig. 1. Adult female in lateral view
 Fig. 2. Head - Dorsal and ventral view
 Fig. 3. Antenna - Male (top) and female (bottom)
 Fig. 4. Hind leg, showing subequal pair of tibial spurs
 Fig. 5: a. Thorax; b. Abdomen, dorsal view; c, e. Fore wing venation; d. Hind tibial spur
 Fig. 6. Mesosoma

Images

   Cotesia flavipes - male, female
       
Cocoons of C. flavipes from larva of Chilo partellus (Swinhoe)

Distribution

Widely distributed in the Oriental region. Africa.

Hosts / Associated habitat

A major parasitoid of graminaceous stem borers such as Chilo partellus (Swinhoe) and Chilo sacchariphagus (Bojer).

References

  • Kimani, S.W. and Overholt, W.A. 1995. Biosystematics of the Cotesia flavipes complex (Hymenoptera: Braconidae): Interspecific hybridization, sex pheromone and mating behaviour studies. Bulletin of Entomological Research, 85: 379-386.
  • Kimani-Njogu, S.W. and Overholt, W.A. 1997. Biosystematics of the Cotesia flavipes species complex (Hymenoptera: Braconidae), parasitoids of the gramineous stemborers. Insect Science and its Application, 17: 119-130.
  • Mohyuddin, A. I. 1971. Comparative biology and ecology of Apanteles flavipes (Cam.) and A. sesamiae Cam. as parasites of graminaceous borers. Bulletin of Entomological Research, 61: 33-39.
  • Overholt, W. A., Ochieng, J. O., Lammers, P. and Ogedah, K. 1994. Rearing and field release methods for Cotesia flavipes Cameron (Hym: Braconidae), a parasitoid of tropical graminaceous stem borers. Insect Science and its Application, 15: 253-259.
  • Polaszek, A. and Walker, A.K. 1991. The Cotesia flavipes species-complex: parasitoids of cereal stem borers in the tropics. Redia, 74: 335-341.
  • Skoroszewski, R. W. and Van Hamburg, H. 1987. The release of Apanteles flavipes (Cameron) (Hym: Braconidae) against stalk-borers of maize and grain-sorghum in South Africa. Journal of the Entomological Society of South Africa, 50: 249-255.
  • Smith, P.T. and Kambhampati, S. 1999. Status of the Cotesia flavipes species complex (Braconidae: Microgastrinae) based on mitochondrial 16S rRNA and NADH 1 dehydrogenase gene sequence. Journal of the Kansas Entomological Society, 72: 306-314.