Paratelenomus anu Rajmohana, Sachin & Talamas (Hymenoptera, Scelionidae): description and biology of a new species of phoretic egg parasitoid of Megacopta cribraria (Fab.) (Hemiptera, Plataspidae)

Abstract

Paratelenomus anu Rajmohana, Sachin & Talamas, sp. nov. (Hymenoptera: Scelionidae) is an egg parasitoid of the kudzu bug, Megacopta cribraria (Fab.) (Hemiptera: Plataspidae). It is morphologically and genetically distinct from P. saccharalis (Dodd), a well-known egg parasitoid of the same host. Paratelenomus anu is here described from India and diagnosed from other species of Paratelenomus Dodd. This parasitoid can be reared easily, has high rates of parasitism, and thus may be significant for the biological control of M. cribraria. Phoresy is documented in P. anu and provides the first known example of this behavior in Paratelenomus. Paratelenomus longus (Kozlov & Lê) syn. nov. and P. mangrovus Rajmohana & Narendran, syn. nov. are treated as junior synonyms of P. tetartus (Crawford), and P. obtusus (Lê) syn. nov. is treated as a junior synonym of P. saccharalis.