Cotesia glomerata

Cotesia glomerata, the white butterfly parasite, is a small parasitic wasp species belonging to family Braconidae. It was first described by Carl Linnaeus in his 1758 publication 10th edition of Systema Naturae.

Cotesia glomerata
A Cotesia glomerata drawing
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Hymenoptera
Family: Braconidae
Genus: Cotesia
Species:
C. glomerata
Binomial name
Cotesia glomerata
Synonyms
  • Apanteles glomeratus [1]

Description
Cocoons of Cotesia species with the remains of a dead parasitized caterpillar
Larvae of Cotesia glomerata emerging from a caterpillar of a Pieris brassicae butterfly

The adults of Cotesia glomerata can reach a length of 3–7 millimetres (0.12–0.28 in). This small braconid wasp is black, with two pairs of wings. It can parasitize a wide range of Pieris butterfly species as host, but the large white (Pieris brassicae) and small white (Pieris rapae)) are the main hosts. The adults feed on nectar.[2]

Life cycle

After hatching from the pupae, females mate almost immediately and begin laying eggs.[3] The eggs are laid in the larvae of butterflies known as caterpillars, where the C. glomerata larvae develop; multiple eggs numbering between 16–52 are deposited in each caterpillar.[4] After 15 to 20 days the larvae emerge, killing the parasitised caterpillar. These newly emerged larvae spin cocoons in a cluster on or nearby the host caterpillar; after 7 to 10 days the imago adult wasps hatch from these cocoons. Overall it takes between 22 and 30 days for an egg to develop to full adulthood.[3]

Cotesia glomerata is in turn parasitized by the hyperparasite wasp Lysibia nana.

Distribution

This species is present in most of Europe, in the Afrotropical realm, the Australasian realm, the Nearctic realm, and the Neotropical realm.[5]

References
  1. " Cotesia glomerata (Linnaeus, 1758)". BioLib. Retrieved 8 July 2020.
  2. Laing, J.E.; Levin, D.B. (1982). "A review of the biology and a bibliography of Apanteles glomeratus (L.) (Hymenoptera: Braconidae)". Biocontrol News and Information. 3 (1): 7–23. ISSN 0143-1404.
  3. Cornell University College of Agricultural and Life Sciences Cotesia (=Apanteles) glomerata (Hymenoptera: Braconidae) Archived 2015-01-03 at the Wayback Machine
  4. Susan Mahr, University of Wisconsin Cotesia glomerata, Parasite of Imported Cabbageworm Archived 2018-10-12 at the Wayback Machine
  5. "Cotesia glomerata (Linnaeus, 1758)". Fauna Europaea. Retrieved 8 July 2020.

Further reading
  • Karowe, D. N.; Schoonhoven, L. M. (1992). "Interactions among three trophic levels: The influence of host plant on performance of Pieris brassicae and its parasitoid, Cotesia glomerata". Entomologia Experimentalis et Applicata. 62 (3): 241–51. doi:10.1111/j.1570-7458.1992.tb00664.x.
  • Mattiacci, Letizia; Dicke, Marcel (1995). "Host-age discrimination during host location by Cotesia glomerata, a larval parasitoid of Pieris brassicae". Entomologia Experimentalis et Applicata. 76: 37–48. doi:10.1111/j.1570-7458.1995.tb01944.x.
  • Wäckers, F.L. (2001). "A comparison of nectar- and honeydew sugars with respect to their utilization by the hymenopteran parasitoid Cotesia glomerata". Journal of Insect Physiology. 47 (9): 1077–1084. doi:10.1016/S0022-1910(01)00088-9. PMID 11472770.
  • Coleman, R. A.; Barker, A. M.; Fenner, M. (1999). "Parasitism of the herbivore Pieris brassicae L. (Lep., Pieridae) by Cotesia glomerata L. (Hym., Braconidae) does not benefit the host plant by reduction of herbivory". Journal of Applied Entomology. 123 (3): 171–7. doi:10.1046/j.1439-0418.1999.00334.x.
  • Gu, Hainan; Wang, Qun; Dorn, Silvia (2003). "Superparasitism in Cotesia glomerata: Response of hosts and consequences for parasitoids". Ecological Entomology. 28 (4): 422–31. doi:10.1046/j.1365-2311.2003.00535.x.


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