Copidosoma koehleri Blanchard

Copidosoma koehleri is an internal, gregarions polyembryonic egg larval parasitoid. The parasitoid is specific to P. operculella. It has been introduced into India from Western Australia in 1983

The freshly laid eggs of Phthorimaea operculella are exposed to the adults (fed with honey droplets on wax paper) by placing them between two layers of muslin cloth. The parasitised eggs are collected after 24 hrs and a days collection is retained separately on potato tubers. The parasitised larvae on hatching enter the potatoes through several holes made artificially by a nail pad so that the larvae have easy access to the entire tuber). When full fed the larvae come-out and the parasitoid grubs form mummies within the host carcass. Each mummified larvae may yield 60 -100 adults of the parasitoid. The egg, larval, pupal and adult period in pursued in 1, 16-18, 7-10 and 2-5 days respectively. Each female lays 30-60 eggs.