Biological Control of Insect Pests: Southeast Asian Prospects - EcoPort

4.16 Trichoplusia ni 337
Table 4.16.5 Parasitoids and a fungus attacking T. ni in the Caribbean
(Alam 1992)
Species % Parasitisation
Jamaica Barbados
BRACONIDAE
Cotesia sp. (glomerata group) 20.0
Cotesia plutellae 29.6Ð70.0 3.5
Glyptapanteles sp. (vitripennis group)
CHALCIDIDAE
0.5Ð 2.0
Brachymeria sp. 2.4
Brachymeria ovata
ENCYRTIDAE
0.5
Copidosoma sp. 12.5
Copidosoma floridanum 0.5Ð5.0
Copidosoma (truncatellum group)
EULOPHIDAE
25.8
Euplectrus platyhypenae
TACHINIDAE
Winthemia nr pinguis
4.2
and Winthemia nr pyrrhopyga 20.2Ð35.8
Winthemia sp. 1 specimen only
ENTOMOPHTHORALES 9.5Ð80.0
NORTH AMERICA
The cabbage looper is a widespread and often highly destructive pest of
cabbage and other Brassicaceae southwards in North America, from about
the level of Ontario in Canada. Throughout this range it is associated with up
to about a dozen other species of Lepidoptera. It is third in importance to the
cabbage white butterfly, Pieris rapae, and the diamondback moth Plutella
xylostella in Canada (Harcourt 1963) and New York State (Pimentel 1961)
and about as important as these in southwestern USA (Oatman and Platner
1969; Reid and Cuthbert 1957).
In Ontario the encyrtid wasp Copidosoma truncatellum is the most
important parasitoid and populations are frequently destroyed by a
polyhedral virus (Harcourt 1963). In New York State a polyhedral virus
(40% mortality) was the major factor affecting T. ni populations in 1957 but
less important (7%) in 1958 when predators (especially spiders), caused 2%
to 3% mortality (Pimentel 1961). In northwestern USA up to 14% of T. ni
larvae were parasitised on cabbage by the tachinid fly, Voria ruralis (Biever
et al. 1992). In southern California up to 39% (av. 7.8%) of T. ni eggs were
parasitised by Trichogramma pretiosum, which was also reared from
Plutella xylostella eggs. Twelve species of parasitoid were reared from T. ni