Goniophthalmus halli Mesnil

Goniophthalmus halli is an important indigenous specific parasitoid of elicoverpa armigera. It has been recorded from several states but it is particularly abundant in cotton, tomato and pigeon pea ecosystems in Karnataka, Gujarat, Maharashtra and Tamil Nadu. The parasitoid is not only a good natural enemy but its abundance in certain crop ecosystems has prompted the research workers to mass multiply and increase its numbers in the existing areas of its distribution, to achieve synchrony with the appropriate pest stages as well as distribute it to new areas.

The initial culture of the parasitoid is established by collecting, large number of Helicoverpa armigera larvae, separating the healthy puparia of the tachinid, identifying the emerging flies and sexing them. The abdomen of adult flies is orange chrome in the females and brownish black with black tip in males). The flies are then released in wooden mating cages 30 cm x 30 cm x 30 cm, kept in mild sunlight and shaken at intervals to stimulate the flies to mate, which takes place on the same day.

The breeding cage is lined with water soaked sponge at the bottom base and covered by paper towel to create high moisture inside the cage. The flies are fed on 50% honey solution and sugar cubes.

The green cotyledons of Cajanus cajan (Linnaeus) Millsp. and water soaked Cicer arietinum Linnaeus seeds are provided to the female tachinids for egg laying after the completion of their gestation period of 5 to 7 days. The tiny oval eggs enclosed in a thin whitish membrance deposited on the rough and depressed areas of cotyledons of C. cajan or seeds of Cicer arietinum are gently segregated by cutting them into small pieces. The small pieces of cotyledons or seeds are fed to the 4th instar (2 week old) larvae of H. armigera, which are subsequently reared on artificial diet. G. halli grub pupates in 12 days (9-17 days) within the host pupa. The parasitized pupae become stretched from the movable joints in the abdomen region. The puparium inside the host pupa develops into an adult fly in 11 days (9 to 16 days) and the process of mass multiplication continues.