Distribution
|
Madagascar,
Reunion, Seychelles. Also Australia,
Cyprus, India, Thailand. |
Biology
|
Host: Grapholita
critica (Lepidoptera: Tortricidae), Etiella behrii
(Lepidoptera: Pyralidae), Bilobata subsecivella (Lepidoptera:
Gelechiidae) on peanut (Arachis hypogaea), Phthorimaea
operculella (Lepidoptera: Gelechiidae) on potato (Solanum
tuberosum) (Gauld, 1980). |
Diagnosis
|
Temelucha minuta is easily recognizable due to its
small size and the M+Cu vein of the fore wing basally spectral.
The coloration is known to be highly variable in this
widespread species, which is a common parasitoid of P. operculella,
the potato tuber moth (Gauld 1980). The darkest Malagasy specimens have
extensive brown markings on the face so that the anterior half of genae
and mesoscutum may be almost entirely black. Lighter specimens have
yellow notauli and the mesopleura with a yellow longitudinal band (Rousse
et al., 2011). |
References
|
Gauld, I.D.
1980. Notes on an economically important species of Temelucha
Forster (Hymenoptera: Ichneumonidae) and a preliminary key to Australian
species. Bulletin of Entomological Research. 70, 43–47.
Morley, C. 1913. The fauna of British
India including Ceylon and Burma, Hymenoptera, Vol.3. Ichneumonidae. London,
British Museum. 531pp.
Rousse, P. & Villemant, C. 2012.
Ichneumons in Reunion Island: a catalogue of the local
Ichneumonidae (Hymenoptera) species, including 15 new taxa and a key to species.
Zootaxa 3278: 1–57.
Rousse, P., Villemant, C. & Seyrig, A.
2011.
Ichneumonid wasps from Madagascar. 5. Ichneumonidae Cremastinae.
Zootaxa, 3118, 1-30.
|
Credits
|
Photographs by Agničle Touret-Alby ©
MNHN (specimens database
http://coldb.mnhn.fr). Map illustration © Simon van Noort (Iziko
Museums of South Africa). |
| |
Next genus:
Trathala |
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