On Some Hyperparasites of Opisina arenosella The Black-Headed Caterpillar Pest of Coconut in Malabar, India

Investigations carried out on the parasite-hyperparasite complex of the coconut pest Opisina arenosella Walker indicate that the hyperparasites considerably reduce the population of the parasites and thus lower the efficiency of the latter as biological control agents. Over half the cocoons of the parasitoid Apanteles taragamae Vier., were parasitised by the hyperparasites, with Aphanogmus manilae Ashmead accounting for 27.14% followed by Meteoridea hutsoni (Nixon) (17.14%), Brachymeria nephantidis Gahan and Pediobius imbreus (Walker) (2.86% each) and Eurytoma albotibialis Ashmead (1.42%). P. imbreus also caused 29.8% parasitism on Bracon brevicornis Wesmael. Brief descriptions of the biology of some of the hyperparasites are also given. COCOS, (1985) 3 29-31 doi: 10.4038/cocos.v3i0.819