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ARS Home » Northeast Area » Beltsville, Maryland (BARC) » Beltsville Agricultural Research Center » Systematic Entomology Laboratory » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #290725
Title: A new species of Lixophaga Townsend (Diptera: Tachinidae) from Colombia, a parasitoid of Neoleucinodes elegantalis (Guenée) (Lepidoptera: Crambidae)

Author
item CARREJO, N. - University Of Valley
item DIAZ, A. - Corpoica
item Woodley, Norman

Submitted to: Zootaxa
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 11/1/2013
Publication Date: 11/18/2013
Publication URL: http://handle.nal.usda.gov/10113/59047
Citation: Carrejo, N., Diaz, A.E., Woodley, N.E. 2013. A new species of Lixophaga Townsend (Diptera: Tachinidae) from Colombia, a parasitoid of Neoleucinodes elegantalis (Guenée) (Lepidoptera: Crambidae). Zootaxa. 3737(1):68-76.

Interpretive Summary: Flies affect U.S. agriculture in many ways, as pests causing millions of dollars in damage annually, or as beneficial predators and parasites. Tachinid flies, parasites of other insects, are the most important group of flies in biocontrol. This paper describes a new species of tachinid fly that is parasitic on the tomato fruit borer that attacks tomatoes, green and red peppers, and similar fruits in the same plant family. This fly is a potential biocontrol agent for this pest moth. This information will be of interest to scientists, biocontrol workers, and other action agencies concerned with insect pests.

Technical Abstract: A new species of Lixophaga Townsend (Diptera: Tachinidae) from Colombia, Lixophaga puscolulo Carrejo & Woodley, sp. nov., is described and illustrated. It is a parasitoid of the tomato fruit borer, Neoleucinodes elegantalis (Guenée) (Lepidoptera: Crambidae), an insect pest of Solanum quitoense Lam., in Colombia. Aspects of its biology are briefly discussed.