A Novel Host Association of Telenomus remus Nixon, 1937 (Hymenoptera: Scelionidae), Evidenced by Molecular Studies

Abstract

The present study from Indian Sundarbans, reports a new host-parasitoid association of Spodoptera pecten Guenée (Lepidoptera) and Telenomus remus Nixon (Hymenoptera). T. remus was identified integrating both morphological and molecular studies, while identification of S. pecten was based on molecular data (mt COI) obtained from reared larvae. The study confirms the natural occurrence of T. remus populations in Indian Sundarbans, with S. pecten as their host. Maximum likelihood trees based on the mt COI DNA gene sequences were generated for T. remus, and S. pecten to confirm the conspecificity. Further, the work also reports Musa sp. as a new host plant of S. pecten.