Discovery and host association of Brachymeria apicicornis Cameron (Hymenoptera: Chalcididae) parasitizing Cassida obtusata Boheman (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae) on Amaranthus in the Thar Desert, India

V., SUSHAMA; C, BINOY; YADAV, SONAL; SHARMA, INDU

doi:10.48311/jibs.12.02.233

Discovery and host association of Brachymeria apicicornis Cameron (Hymenoptera: Chalcididae) parasitizing Cassida obtusata Boheman (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae) on Amaranthus in the Thar Desert, India

Articles in Press

Document Type : Short Paper

Authors

SUSHAMA V. ¹

BINOY C ²

SONAL YADAV ¹

INDU SHARMA ¹

¹ Desert Regional Centre, Zoological Survey of India, Jodhpur-342 005, Rajasthan, India

² Zoological Survey of India Marine Aquarium and Regionaal Centre, Digha, West Bengal

10.48311/jibs.12.02.233

Abstract

The Thar Desert of northwestern India harbours underdocumented parasitoid–host interactions and unique ecological interactions often overlooked due to its arid landscapes. Here, we report the first confirmed host association of Brachymeria apicicornis (Cameron, 1911) (Chalcididae: Brachymeriinae) as a pupal parasitoid of Cassida obtusata Boheman, 1854 (Chrysomelidae: Cassidinae) feeding on Amaranthus palmeri S. Wats (Amaranthaceae) in Rajasthan, India. Solitarily emerged adult parasitoids from five individually isolated pupae establish a pupal idiobiontic parasitoidism on the cassidine host. Species identity is corroborated through a diagnostic redescription. The present study also provides a structured evidence framework encompassing rearing isolation, emergence chronology, exit-hole morphology and position, and host pupal phenotype. Broader implications on ecological dynamics in arid landscapes are also discussed.

Graphical Abstract