Occurrence of Microplitis croceipes (Cresson) (Braconidae: Microgastrinae) as parasitoid of Manduca sexta paphus (Cramer) (Lepidoptera: Sphingidae) in Southern of Goiás, Brazil

Carlos Henrique Marchiori

Abstract

Microplitis croceipes (Cresson) (Braconidae: Microgastrinae), which is an important larval has served as a model for a number of studies examining the learning and foraging behavior of insects. Like other wasps, M. croceipes uses olfactory and visual cues to locate and lay their eggs in, Heliocoverpa zea (Boddie), Heliothis virescens (Fabricius), and Heliothis subflexa (Quenée) (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) as well as to locate food resources and it has been determined that the use of these mediating cues are improved through associative learning. Manduca sexta paphus (Cramer) (Lepidoptera: Sphingidae) is known in Brazil as the tobacco worm and is generally found on Solanacea plants, especially tobacco. This species is found in tobacco fields, vegetable gardens, and a wide variety of other habitats. The occurrence of the parasitoid M. croceipes parasitizing two larva Manduca sexta paphus on soybean (Glicine max L. Merr.) in southern of Goiás, Brazil is reported in this paper.