Diolcogaster Ashmead

Gupta, Ankita & Fernández-Triana, José L., 2014, Diversity, host association, and cocoon variability of reared Indian Microgastrinae (Hymenoptera: Braconidae), Zootaxa 3800 (1), pp. 1-101 : 8

Genus Diolcogaster Ashmead ( Figures 54 , 136 )

Rearing Data: The genus Diolcogaster Ashmead was considered by Mason (1981) to include many species grouped by Nixon (1965) under Protomicroplitis . The genus was recently revised for the Australasian region, including comments on its biology and host relationships ( Saeed et al. 1999). Those authors expanded the connexus- group sensu Nixon into non-Australasian groups ( D. ippis Nixon and D. reales Nixon ), while the spretusgroup sensu Nixon was expanded to include D. coenonymphae (Watanabe) from Japan. The present understanding of the genus from India is very poor with only four species reported so far. Nearly 52 specimens were bred from three regions.

Life History Comments: Only one gregarious species could be reared from an undetermined caterpillar feeding on Terminalia sp. ( Fig. 54 ). Another species was collected from Malaise traps in the Andaman islands.

Figures

FIGURE 136. Diolcogaster sp. (female) — A. Dorsal view B. Mesosoma C. Metasoma.

FIGURES 47 – 54. 47. Cocoons of Cotesia sp. 0 3 on undetermined. arctiid caterpillar on Thelypteris sp.; 48. Cocoons of Cotesia sp. 0 5 on host plant Vicia faba L.; 49. Cocoons of Cotesia sp. 0 6 on host plant Mangifera indica L.; 50. Cocoons of Cotesia sp. 0 8 on host plant Cajanus cajan (L.) Millsp.; 51. Host caterpillar of Cotesia sp. 0 9 on Helianthus annuus L.; 52. Parasitized host caterpillar of Cotesia sp. 10 on Syzygium cumini (L.) Skeels.; 53. Cocoons of Cotesia sp. 10; 54. Diolcogaster sp. 0 2 on Terminalia sp ..