A new solitary, koinobiont, larval endoparasitoid Microplitis tuberculifer (Wesmael 1837) was recorded from the larvae of Spodoptera litura infesting cauliflower in Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh, India. The maximum of 7.55 % parasitization was recorded during fourth week of October, 2014 followed by first week of November, 2014 (5.11 %). The parasitoid parasitizes host larvae in their early and mid-developmental phase, most preferably first or second instar, and finally kills the larvae before reaching pupation stage. To the best of author’s knowledge, this study is the first record of M. tuberculifer as an endo-parasitoid of S. litura from India. |
