Cotesia ruficrus (Haliday, 1834) (Hymenoptera: Braconidae) emerging as a common natural parasitoid of Spodoptera frugiperda (J. E. Smith) (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) in Indian maize fields

Abstract

Field surveys conducted during 2018-2019 in the maize fields infested with Spodoptera frugiperda (J. E. Smith) (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) in Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Rajasthan and Meghalaya revealed that Cotesia ruficrus (Haliday) (Hymenoptera: Braconidae) was the common gregarious larval parasitoid in the maize fields parasitizing S. frugiperda . This is the first report of C. ruficrus parasitizing S. frugiperda in India, earlier reports being from Trinidad and Tobago. The present study (using integrated approach) provides morphological and molecular identification details along with host data, cocoon characters and geographical distribution of C. ruficrus .