First Record of Feeding by Vanessa cardui Caterpillars1 on Bean Plants and Their Parasitism by Lespesia melalophae2

The painted lady, Vanessa cardui L., is known to feed from many plants, including some of agricultural importance (i.e., mustard, canola, brassica crops, among others). However, there is no report on feeding by this polyphagous lepidopteran on bean plants (Phaseolus vulgaris L.). In 2017, this lepidopteran was extraordinarilly abundant in a bean plot at Chihuahua, Mexico. The insect damaged 100% of plants in the plot. Lespesia melalophae (Diptera: Tachinidae) was the main parasitoid of V. cardui. Parasitism rates were 30.27, 1.43, and 0.48% for L. melalophae, Meteorus sp. (Hymenoptera: Braconidae), and Campoletis sp. (Hymenoptera: Ichneumonidae), respectively. There are no previous reports of parasitism by L. melalophae on V. cardui.