Research Article |
Corresponding author: Andrea Lucchi ( andrea.lucchi@unipi.it ) Academic editor: Kees van Achterberg
© 2017 Pier Luigi Scaramozzino, Augusto Loni, Andrea Lucchi.
This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY 4.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.
Citation:
Scaramozzino PL, Loni A, Lucchi A (2017) A review of insect parasitoids associated with Lobesia botrana (Denis & Schiffermüller, 1775) in Italy. 1. Diptera Tachinidae and Hymenoptera Braconidae (Lepidoptera, Tortricidae). ZooKeys 647: 67-100. https://doi.org/10.3897/zookeys.647.11098
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This paper is aimed to summarize the information available on the parasitoid complex of the European Grapevine Moth (EGVM), Lobesia botrana (Denis & Schiffermüller, 1775) (LepidopteraTortricidae) in Italy. The list is the result of the consultation of a vast bibliography published in Italy for almost two hundred years, from 1828 to date. This allowed the clarification and correction of misunderstandings and mistakes on the taxonomic position of each species listed.
In Italy the complex of parasitoids detected on EGVM includes approximately 90 species belonging to ten families of Hymenoptera (Braconidae, Ichneumonidae, Chalcididae, Eulophidae, Eupelmidae, Eurytomidae, Pteromalidae, Torymidae, Trichogrammatidae, and Bethylidae) and one family of Diptera (Tachinidae). This paper deals with EGVM parasitoids of the families Tachinidae (Diptera) and Braconidae (Hymenoptera). Only two species of Tachinidae are associated to EGVM larvae in Italy, Actia pilipennis (Fallen) and Phytomyptera nigrina (Meigen), whereas the record of Eurysthaea scutellaris (Robineau-Desvoidy) is doubtful. Moreover, 21 species of Braconidae are reported to live on EGVM, but, unfortunately, eight of them were identified only at generic level. Bracon mellitor Say has been incorrectly listed among the parasitoids of L. botrana. Records concerning Ascogaster rufidens Wesmael, Meteorus sp., Microgaster rufipes Nees, and Microplitis tuberculifer (Wesmael) are uncertain.
Biological control, braconid wasps, European grapevine moth, natural enemies, tachinid flies
The European Grapevine Moth (EGVM), Lobesia botrana (Denis & Schiffermüller, 1775) (Lepidoptera, Tortricidae) is an important pest in the grape-growing regions of Europe, the Middle East, northern and western Africa and southern Russia (
EGVM massively appeared in the wine-growing areas of southern Europe (France, Italy, the Iberian Peninsula) at the end of 1800. A century before, the species had been named but not described by
Later on, the moth was described by
The taxonomic history of EGVM is rather complicated; over time the species has been attributed to various genera or it has been misinterpreted as different species, generating confusion in biological data and at the synonymic level. In the “Datasheet Report” for European Grapevine Moth of
Since its first record, EGVM had been associated with the grapevine (
With regard to the grape moth parasitoids, Camillo Rondani (1871-1878) reported only one Ichneumonid, Pimpla instigator Fabricius, 1793, living on Cochylis roserana Frölich, 1828 (= E. ambiguella), but did not mention L. botrana.
In 1899, Del Guercio described in detail the morphology and the behavior of EGVM, providing the first list of seven parasitoids obtained from larvae and pupae collected in the vineyards of Tuscany. In a paper dealing with Italian Chalcidoidea,
At the time when Paul Marchal in France was publishing an important work on EGVM (1912), in Italy Giulio
With the impressive collections of pupae of the first spring-summer generation and of the overwintering second generation, Catoni collected EGVM and EGBM individuals in varying proportions, although frequently EGVM was more abundant. The purpose of his investigations was to provide a valid argument to declare as mandatory the “autumnal application of bands and rags to the vine stems” with the aim to collect the migrating larvae, prevent moth emerging and allow parasitoid spreading. From these pupae Catoni obtained 15 species of parasitoids (
After a long period of time of nearly 70 years, in which the essays on EGVM parasitoids were very rare, in the 1990s
The other vine moth, Eupoecilia ambiguella (Hübner, 1796) (European Grape Berry Moth, EGBM) was recognized as the major grape berry pest in Europe until the 1920s (
EGVM larvae feed on grapevine flowers and berries and on a number of other plants growing in warm-dry environments. Its host range includes approximately 40 species belonging to 27 families (
Larval feeding on green and ripe berries of grapevine allows the infection by various microorganisms that frequently results in bunch rots (
Extensive scientific efforts are still needed to develop biological control as an effective solution for practical use in the field. Egg parasitoids of the genus Trichogramma have been mass-released in a inundative strategy with variable results (
The limited knowledge of the field efficacy of EGVM natural enemies has recently come to light for the questions raised in this regard by some American entomologists, who persistently questioned the potential of the biological control for EGVM management (
We fully agree with what was written by William Robin Thompson in the “Catalogue of Parasites and Predators of Insects Pests” (published under his direction in several volumes from 1943 to 1972) concerning the introduction of natural enemies of insect pests accidentally introduced in a new country: “… it is necessary to know the identity and habits for the parasites and predators attacking the pest in its native home. The name and habits of the natural enemies of many pests are recorded in the literature, but it is usually a very difficult and tedious task to assemble the information. A comprehensive list or catalogue of the predators of injurious insects, with the reference to the original papers in which they were recorded is, therefore, one of the fundamental necessities in biological control work.” (
Among the difficulties that can arise when compiling these lists, Thompson suggests mainly the “inaccuracy in observation, rearing work and identification contained in the works of former authors, which greatly limits their practical value.” Many past mistakes of unusual parasitoid species associated to EGVM in Italy might be due to a poor lab management of the field collection. We should take into consideration that
Over time, the observations and the rearing techniques have been refined and rarely constitute a serious obstacle to this type of investigation. On the other hand, there is still a great difficulty in parasitoid and predator identification, which is intrinsic to the vastness and complexity of the taxonomic groups to which they belong.
This paper deals with DipteraTachinidae and HymenopteraBraconidae and aims to be the first contribution of a revised and updated list of the Italian parasitoids of L. botrana.
The Italian records on EGVM parasitoids are a fragmented patchwork. This paper includes data from fewer than half of the Italian regions (nine of 20), and most of these data come from the northern part of Italy (Trentino-South Tyrol 37 species, Veneto 31 species, Piedmont 25 species) followed by Sardinia (22 species) Tuscany (20 species), Campania (19 species), Apulia (7 species), and Sicily and Umbria (1 species). An important part of the information (e.g.: Trentino-South Tyrol, Campania, Tuscany, Umbria and Sicily) comes from works published between the end of 19th and early 20th centuries, and some specific identifications are not responding to current taxonomic criteria, so requiring an accurate revision.
Most of the data result from studies conducted in the vineyards (approx. 85 species recorded in 29 papers) and some from the spurge flax (Daphne gnidium L.) in natural or semi-natural environments (appox. 15 species and 6 papers). In some contributions, mostly focused on general aspects, such as for example the grapevine protection from EGVM attacks, the reports on parasitoids are marginal and not very consistent.
The origin, quality and consistency of the data are not uniform and reflect the absence, in certain regions, of people with the necessary scientific knowledge and skill to carry out this type of investigation.
The list of parasitoid species feeding on L. botrana in Italy was drawn up using all the papers published on the subject, both in Italy (Table
References consulted for the compilation of the parasitoid list of the European grapevine moth in Italy. See references for the full bibliographic citation. The numbers on the left are the same as in Table
Number | Authors |
---|---|
1 | Bagnoli B, Lucchi A (2006) |
2 | Barbieri R, Cavallini G, Pari P, Guardigni P (1992) |
3 | Baur H (2005) |
4 | Boselli F (1928) |
5 | Caotni G (1910) |
6 | Catoni G (1914) |
7 | Cerretti P, Tschornig H-P (2010) |
8 | Colombera S, Alma A, Arzone A (2001) |
9 | Dalla Montà L, Marchesini E (1995) |
10 | Del Guercio G (1899) |
11 | Delrio G, Luciano P, Prota R (1987) |
12 | Forti D (1991) |
13 | Laccone G (1978) |
14 | Leonardi G (1925) |
15 | Loni A, Samartsev KG, Scaramozzino PL, Belokobylkij SA, Lucchi A (2016) |
16 | Lozzia GC, Rigamonti EI (1991) |
17 | Lucchi A, Santini L (2011) |
18 | Lucchi A, Scaramozzino PL, Michl G, Loni A, Hoffmann C (2016) |
19 | Luciano P, Delrio G, Prota R (1988) |
20 | Marchesini E, Dalla Montà L (1994) |
21 | Marchesini E, Dalla Montà L (1998) |
22 | Marchesini E, Dalla Montà L, Sancassani GP (2006) |
23 | Masi L (1907) |
24 | Masi L (1911) |
25 | Moleas T (1979) |
26 | Moleas T (1995) |
27 | Nobili P, Correnti A, Vita G, Voegelé J (1988) |
28 | Nuzzaci G, Triggiani O (1982) |
29 | Pinna M, Gremo F, Scaramozzino PL (1989) |
30 | Roat C, Forti D (1994) |
31 | Ruschka F, Fulmek L (1915) |
32 | Scaramozzino PL, Loni A, Lucchi A, Gandini L (In press) |
33 | Silvestri F (1912) |
34 | Stellwaag F (1928) |
35 | Zangheri S, Dalla Montà L, Duso C (1987) |
Various names are not related to any species currently known and are considered “nomina dubia”, while some misspellings have been amended. The list contains the names used by the different authors in their publications and those updated according to the sources mentioned above. Names no longer valid are preceded by a dot and are followed by the name of the authors who used them. Within the list, the species are divided by Order and Family and sorted alphabetically. Valid names are in bold. Synonyms, misspellings, combinations other than those valid today, are in a smaller font and show in square brackets the valid name. The papers examined and included in the list are sorted alphabetically and consecutively numbered. These numbers are shown in the table, in the columns of the main geographical areas in which Italy can be divided: northern Italy (indicated by NORTH and including the Regions of Valle d’Aosta, Piedmont, Liguria, Lombardy, Trentino-South Tyrol, Veneto, Friuli-Venezia Giulia and Emilia-Romagna); Central Italy (shown with CENTER and including Tuscany, Marche, Umbria, Lazio and Abruzzo), southern Italy (indicated with SOUTH, including Campania, Molise, Apulia, Basilicata and Calabria), Sicily and Sardinia. In two separate columns we indicated if the record is earlier or later than 1970. If the species has been recorded before and after that date, it is shown on both columns.
The complex of parasitoids detected on EGVM in Italy includes some 90 species belonging to ten families of Hymenoptera (Braconidae, Ichneumonidae, Chalcididae, Eulophidae, Eupelmidae, Eurytomidae, Pteromalidae, Torymidae, Trichogrammatidae and Bethylidae) and one family of Diptera (Tachinidae). More than fifty species belong to Ichneumonidae, followed by Braconidae with 21 species, Eulophidae eight species, Trichogrammatidae six species, and Pteromalidae five species. All the other families are represented by one or two species. The parasitoids of EGVM, belonging to the families Tachinidae (Diptera) and Braconidae (Hymenoptera), reported in Italy by various authors (see Table
List of Tachinidae (Diptera) and Braconidae (Hymenoptera) parasitoids of Lobesia botrana reported in Italy.
Order-family / subfamily / species | subfamily | <1970 | >1970 | NORTH | CENTER | SOUTH | SICILY | SARDINIA | ||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
DIPTERA
TACHINIDAE |
||||||||||||||||
Actia pilipennis (Fallen, 1810) | Tachininae | • | 32 | |||||||||||||
• Discochaeta hyponomeutae Rond. [= Eurysthaea scutellaris] | ||||||||||||||||
Eurysthaea scutellaris (Robineau-Desvoidy, 1848) | ? | Forti in |
||||||||||||||
Phytomyptera sp. | Tachininae | • | 27 | |||||||||||||
Phytomyptera nigrina (Meigen, 1824) | Tachininae | •[4, 14: as Phytomyptera nitidiventris] 14 (as P. n. var. unicolor Rond.) | • | 3, 8, 20, 21, 23 | 1, 10, 33 (as Phytomyptera nitidiventris and P. nitidiventris var. unicolor), 36 | 13, 28, 33 (as Phytomyptera nitidiventris and P. nitidiventris var. unicolor) | 25 (as Phytomyptera nitidiventris and P. nitidiventris var. unicolor) | 19 | ||||||||
• Phytomyptera nitidiventris Rond. [= Phytomyptera nigrina] | ||||||||||||||||
• Phytomiptera nitidiventris var. unicolor Rond. [= Phytomyptera nigrina] | ||||||||||||||||
• Phytomiptera unicolor Rond. [= Phytomyptera nigrina] | ||||||||||||||||
HYMENOPTERA | ||||||||||||||||
BRACONIDAE | ||||||||||||||||
Agathis sp. Latreille, 1804 | Agathidinae | • | 11 | |||||||||||||
Agathis malvacearum Latreille, 1805 | Agathidinae | • | 25, 26 | |||||||||||||
Apanteles sp. Forster, 1862 | Microgastrinae | • | 28 | 19 | ||||||||||||
Apanteles albipennis (Nees, 1834) | Microgastrinae | • | 13 | |||||||||||||
Aleiodes sp. Wesmael, 1838 | Rogadinae | • | 28 | |||||||||||||
Ascogaster quadridentata Wesmael,1835 | Cheloninae | • | 20, 21, 22 | 1 | 19 | |||||||||||
Ascogaster rufidens Wesmael, 1835 | Cheloninae | • 4 | 33 | |||||||||||||
Bassus linguarius (Nees, 1812) | Agathidinae | • | 28 | |||||||||||||
Bracon (Glabrobracon) admotus Papp, 2000 | Braconinae | • | 15, 32 (as Bracon spp.) | |||||||||||||
Bracon mellitor Say, 1836 | Braconinae | • 14 (as Bracon vernoniae) | ||||||||||||||
• Bracon vernoniae Ashm. [= Bracon mellitor] | ||||||||||||||||
Chelonus sp. Panzer, 1806 | Cheloninae | • | 11 | |||||||||||||
Colastes sp. Haliday, 1833 | Exothecinae | • | 8 | |||||||||||||
Habrobracon sp. Ashmead, 1895 | Braconinae | • | 26 | 11 | ||||||||||||
• Habrobracon brevicornis Wesmael [= Habrobracon hebetor] | ||||||||||||||||
Habrobracon concolorans (Marshall, 1900) | Braconinae | • | 15, 32 (as Bracon spp.) | |||||||||||||
Habrobracon hebetor (Say, 1836) | Braconinae | • 4 (as Habrobracon sp.) | • | 15, 32 (as Bracon spp.) | 25, 33 (as Habrobracon sp.), Goidanich, 1934 | 33 (as Habrobracon sp. from Ephestia elutella) | ||||||||||
Habrobracon pillerianae Fischer, 1980 | Braconinae | • | 15, 32 (as Bracon spp.) | |||||||||||||
Meteorus sp. Haliday,1835 | Euphorinae | • 4 | 33 | |||||||||||||
• Microbracon brevicornis Wesmael [= Habrobracon hebetor] | • Thompson, 1946 | |||||||||||||||
• Microgaster globata (Linnaeus, 1758) [= Microgaster rufipes] | ||||||||||||||||
Microgaster rufipes Nees, 1834 | Microgastrinae | • | 6 (as Microgaster globata) | |||||||||||||
Microplitis sp. Foerster, 1862 | Microgastrinae | • | 8, 20, 21, 22 | |||||||||||||
Microplitis tuberculifer (Wesmael, 1837) | Microgastrinae | • 4 (as Microplitis tuberculifera) | 6, 31 | |||||||||||||
Therophilus tumidulus (Nees, 1812) | Agathidinae | • | 19 (as Microdus tumidulus) |
Tuscany:
Palearctic species widely distributed, present, with few exceptions, all over Europe; to the east it reaches the Kuril Islands and Japan through southern Siberia and Mongolia (
It is a rather polyphagous species: little more than fifteen hosts are known, mostly belonging to the family Tortricidae (
During a research carried out in the natural reserve of Migliarino-San Rossore-Massaciuccoli, Pisa), we have obtained quite often specimens of this Tachinid from larvae of the three generations of EGVM and from larvae of Cacoecimorpha pronubana (Hübner, 1799), both living on the shoot tips of Daphne gnidium (
Very probably the species reported by
Phytomyptera
unicolor
Rond.:
Phytomyptera
nitidiventris
Rond.:
Phytomyptera
nitidiventris
var.
unicolor
Rond.:
Phytomyptera
spp.
Apulia:
Campania:
Piedmont:
Sardinia:
Tuscany:
Umbria:
Veneto:
Emilia-Romagna:
North Central and South Europe, Russia North West, Ukraine (Fauna Europaea)
Larval endophagous koinobiont parasitoid, Phytomyptera nigrina (see Tab.
Phytomyptera nigrina: percentages of parasitism on the European Grapevine Moth reported in Italy by different authors.
Author/s, publication year | Italian Region | Host plant | Year | 1st generation (antophagous) |
2nd generation (carpophagous) |
3rd generation (carpophagous) |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Piedmont | grapevine | 1998 | 17.3 | 0 | does not occur |
|
Piedmont | grapevine | 1999 | 6.5 | (2 specimens) | does not occur |
|
Apulia / Cerignola | grapevine | 1978 | 26.08 | 11,4 / 12,4 / 14,7 | 0 |
|
Veneto/ Pernumia (PD) | grapevine | 1989 | 0 | 1,76 | 0 |
|
Veneto/ Pernumia (PD) | grapevine | 1990 | 0 | 0,23 | 0 |
|
Veneto/ Pernumia (PD) | grapevine | 1991 | 0 | 0,97 | 0 |
|
Veneto/ Colognola (VR) | grapevine | 1990 | 0.36 | 6,72 | 0 |
|
Veneto/ Colognola (VR) | grapevine | 1991 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
|
Veneto/ Colognola (VR) | grapevine | 1992 | 0 | 0,48 | 0 |
|
Veneto/ Valpolicella (VR) | grapevine | 1992 (1) | 0 / 0.64 | 0,48 / 2,14 | 0 / 0 |
|
Veneto | grapevine | 2000 (2) | 14,6 / 4,4 | 0 / 0 | |
|
Veneto | grapevine | 2001 (2) | 0 / 0 | 1,0 / 0,8 | 0 / 0 |
|
Apulia | Daphne gnidium | 1979–1982 | ? | ? | 30 |
|
Sardinia | Daphne gnidium | 1986–87 | 25-24,1 | ? | 7,1-0 |
This insect is associated to 29 species of Lepidoptera: Pterophoridae, Pyralidae, Sesiidae, Yponomeutidae and various genera and species of Tortricidae, included E. ambiguella.
Among the Tachinidae living on the vine moths, Pn shows the lowest number of hosts. For more details, see
Its importance as parasitoid depends on the host generation; indeed, various authors found that the parasitism rates are more generally related to the EGVM antophagous generation on grapevine: in this case they can overcome 25% of parasitism rate, both on grapevine in Apulia (
In Piedmont, Pn reached on the first generation of EGVM and EGBM, in two successive years, significant parasitization rates (17.3 and 6.5%), but it was virtually absent (only two individuals obtained) in the second overwintering generation (
In France,
Discochaeta
hyponomeutae
Rond.:
According to
Sardinia:
The cosmopolitan genus Agathis Latreille, 1804, according to
In Sardinia
Apulia:
Spread in Central and Southern Europe, UK, Finland, Russia, Caucasus, Turkey, Iran, Central Asia, Canada (Quebec), USA (some States bordering Canada) (
Agathis malvacearum lives on 7 species of moths: 2 Coleophoridae, 3 Gelechiidae, 1 Pterophoridae and 1 Tortricidae (
This species was obtained in low numbers during a three-year investigation in vineyards of table grapes in five locations of Apulia and has been associated to EGVM only by
Apulia:
It occurs in Central and Southern Europe, Great Britain, Finland, Turkey, Iran, Armenia, Kazakhstan and Mongolia (
In Apulia this species reached 9% of parasitization rate on EGVM larvae developing on Daphne gnidium in September.
Microdus
tumidulus
Nees:
Sardinia:
Therophilus tumidulus is widespread in the Palearctic area: throughout Europe, Morocco, Russia, Caucasus, Turkey, Iran, Central Asia as far as Japan and China (
The species is known as larval parasitoid of LepidopteraMomphidae, Gelechiidae, Depressariidae and especially Tortricidae, including the vine tortrix moth S. pilleriana (
Therophilus tumidulus was the second most frequent larval parasitoid of EGVM on Daphne gnidium in Sardinia, after P. nigrina, with parasitism rates ranging from 12.5 to 24.1% in the first generation and 8.6% in the third generation.
Bracon
vernoniae
Ashm.:
This species, distributed in North America from Canada to Mexico, is also present in Cuba, Brazil, Hawaii, while it is not present in Europe. In 1935 it was introduced from Hawaii into Egypt to control the Pink Bollworm, Pectinophora gossypiella (Saunders, 1844) (LepidopteraGelechiidae), but it seems not established (
Bracon mellitor lives on many hosts, mainly belonging to the ColeopteraCurculionidae and several families of Lepidoptera, especially Tortricidae, Pyralidae, Gelechiidae and Noctuidae (
Bracon
sl.:
Tuscany:
This species was originally described by
The species was raised from larvae of Byctiscus betulae (Linnaeus, 1758) (Coleoptera: Attelabidae) in the leaves of Populus tremula L. rolled up like a cigar (
Sardinia:
Idiobiont larval ectophagous and gregarious parasitoid predominantly of Coleoptera and Lepidoptera.
In Sardinia vineyards
Bracon
sl.:
Tuscany:
Habrobracon concolorans is a Trans-Eurasian species (
Habrobracon concolorans has been found associated to three other species of Braconinae (H. hebetor, H. pillerianae and Bracon admotus) that emerged from more than 1,200 EGVM samples collected in 2014 (
Habrobracon
sp.:
Habrobracon
brevicornis
Wesmael:
Microbracon
brevicornis
Wesm.:
Bracon
sl.:
Campania:
Tuscany:
Sicily:
South Italy:
Cosmopolitan.
In the past, the taxonomic position of H. hebetor was not well defined; it has a large number of synonyms because of the wide distribution, the broad host range and the morphological variability, so that it was attributed to the genera Bracon, Habrobracon and Microbracon (
Highly polyphagous, it is known to attack various species of pyralid moths feeding on stored products, as well as other Lepidopterous pests on several cultivated plants (
Bracon
s. l.:
Tuscany:
Currently this species is only found in Asian Turkey (
Very little information is available on this species (
Also in this species the larvae developed both solitary and gregariously, with up to three individuals feeding on the same host (
Sardinia:
Tuscany:
Veneto:
The species is present in Europe and North Africa; in Asia it is recorded up to Japan (for more details see: Yu 1997-2012 and
This koinobiont egg-larval endophagous parasitoid feeds on various species of economically important moths, especially belonging to the family Tortricidae.
As already highlighted by
Campania:
This species shows a Palaearctic distribution, being present in Europe (excluding Iberian Peninsula, ex Yugoslavia and Greece), Russia, Far East Russia, and China.
Koinobiont endophagous egg-larval parasitoid. The only record is due to
Sardinia:
Chelonus Panzer, 1806 is a cosmopolitan genus with 190 species in Europe (Fauna Europaea).
Like the species of the genus Ascogaster, the Chelonus spp. are koinobiont egg-larval endophagous parasitoids of various groups of microlepidoptera and Noctuidae.
In Sardinia
Colombera at al. 2001
Piedmont: Colombera at al. 2001
Colastes Haliday, 1833 is a cosmopolitan genus represented in Europe by 15 species, which are, as all the members of the subfamily, idiobiont ectophagous solitary parasitoids on larvae of several leafminers (
Campania:
Apulia:
Meteorus Haliday, 1835 is a cosmopolitan genus with a large number of species,
The species of the genus Meteorus are koinobiont endophagous larval parasitoids of Coleoptera and Lepidoptera. M. pendulus (Müller, 1776) and M. rubens (Nees, 1811) have been found on E. ambiguella, while M. colon (Haliday, 1835) was obtained from S. pilleriana.
Apulia:
Sardinia:
Apanteles Förster, 1863 is a big cosmopolitan genus which - according to
Apanteles is a polyphyletic complicated group, both for the high number of species and for the evident morphological convergence accompanied by the characters reduction.
The situation is still controversial and Mason’s opinion is not accepted by all taxonomists of the group (see note 180 in
Like all Microgastrinae, Apanteles spp. are koinobiont endophagous larval parasitoids of LepidopteraDitrysia and are undoubtedly among the most important parasitoids of this order. For more details, see
In Apulia, an unidentified species of Apanteles was repeatedly found in September-October; this emerged from EGVM larvae living on D. gnidium, with a parasitization rate of approx. 20% (
Apulia:
Palaearctic species, widespread in Europe and in the former Soviet Union up to the east coast.
Yu (1997-2012) provides a list of 33 species of Lepidopteran hosts including Tortricidae, Gelechiidae, Pterophoridae, Coleophoridae, Pyralidae and other families, plus two erroneous records: one species of Buprestidae and one of Curculionidae (Coleoptera). Among the hosts of A. albipennis is also recorded S. pilleriana (
Specimens of this species were rarely obtained from EGVM larvae of first and second generation collected on vine in Apulia (
Microgaster
globata
:
Trentino-South Tyrol:
Microgaster is a cosmopolitan genus, fairly rich in species.
In the past, the name “globata” was often referred to the European species of Microgaster Latreille, 1804, characterized by red hind femora. Nowadays we do not know exactly to what species the old quotes of many authors refer (
The species is now reported in the Fauna Europaea as Microgaster rufipes Nees, 1834, but is still listed by
Piedmont:
Veneto:
Microplitis Förster, 1863 is a cosmopolitan genus that counts about 180 species.
All the species of this genus are solitary or gregarious endoparasitoids of Lepidopteran larvae (especially Noctuidae).
Both
Microplitis
tuberculifera
:
Microplites
tuberculifera
(Wesm.) Reinh.:
Trentino-South Tyrol:
Microplitis tuberculifer is widespread and common throughout the Palearctic region, with the exception of North Africa.
It is a solitary koinobiont endoparasitoid of Lepidopteran larvae (Noctuidae and Geometridae), and it is also reported on E. ambiguella in Austria, together with EGVM (
The only Italian records of this species on the two vine moths are due to
Apulia:
Aleiodes Wesmael, 1838, is a cosmopolitan genus of 240 species (
In most cases, the species of this genus live on larvae of macrolepidoptera, both diurnal and nocturnal and, to a lesser extent, on larvae of microlepidoptera, including tortricids. They are koinobiont larval endoparasitoids, and lay their eggs in the host young larva and pupate inside the mummified remains of the dead caterpillar. Three species of Aleiodes are associated with L. botrana.