''Lysiphlebus testaceipes'' is a species of small

braconid The Braconidae are a family of parasitoid wasps. After the closely related Ichneumonidae, braconids make up the second-largest family in the order Hymenoptera, with about 17,000 recognized species and many thousands more undescribed. One analysis ...

parasitoid wasp Parasitoid wasps are a large group of hymenopteran Superfamily (zoology), superfamilies, with all but the wood wasps (Orussoidea) being in the wasp-waisted Apocrita. As parasitoids, they lay their eggs on or in the bodies of other arthropods, ...

in the subfamily

Aphidiinae The Aphidiinae are a subfamily of tiny parasitoid wasps that use aphids as their hosts. Several species have been used in biological control programs of various aphids. Biology and distribution Aphidiines are koinobiont endoparasitoids of ad ...

. ''L. testaceipes'' can utilize numerous species of

aphids Aphids are small sap-sucking insects in the Taxonomic rank, family Aphididae. Common names include greenfly and blackfly, although individuals within a species can vary widely in color. The group includes the fluffy white Eriosomatinae, woolly ...

as hosts and has often been used as a

biological control Biological control or biocontrol is a method of controlling pests, whether pest animals such as insects and mites, weeds, or pathogens affecting animals or plants by using other organisms. It relies on predation, parasitism, herbivory, or o ...

agent against aphid pests. It is considered an

invasive species An invasive species is an introduced species that harms its new environment. Invasive species adversely affect habitats and bioregions, causing ecological, environmental, and/or economic damage. The term can also be used for native spec ...

in several European countries. Lysephlebus testaceipes

Description

''L. testaceipes'' is a black wasp less than 3 mm in length with translucent wings. Females have short

ovipositors The ovipositor is a tube-like organ (anatomy), organ used by some animals, especially insects, for the laying of Egg (biology), eggs. In insects, an ovipositor consists of a maximum of three pairs of appendages. The details and morphology of t ...

. Due to their size, adults may be difficult to observe in the wild. Aphid mummies produced by this parasitoid appear as rounded and swollen aphids beige or tan in color. An exit hole may be visible on the aphid mummy if the adult wasp has emerged.

Distribution

''L. testaceipes'' is native to the southern United States and South America. This species was first introduced in Europe to Czechoslovakia in 1972 as a bio-control agent and can now be found on every continent except Antarctica. Following introduction to Europe, ''L. testaceipes'' spread relatively quickly along the Mediterranean coast to eventually cover the entire Mediterranean area. It has since then moved north to the foothills of the

Pyrenees The Pyrenees are a mountain range straddling the border of France and Spain. They extend nearly from their union with the Cantabrian Mountains to Cap de Creus on the Mediterranean coast, reaching a maximum elevation of at the peak of Aneto. ...

and has been found in Serbia as of 2013. Populations of this species were also recorded in the

Alps The Alps () are some of the highest and most extensive mountain ranges in Europe, stretching approximately across eight Alpine countries (from west to east): Monaco, France, Switzerland, Italy, Liechtenstein, Germany, Austria and Slovenia. ...

up to 2200 m asl. In the United States, ''L. testaceipes'' has been found as far north as Wisconsin. The ability of this species to spread into cooler areas led to its removal from the European Plant Protection Organization's list of positive biological control agents in 2008.

Ecology

Like all members of Aphidiinae, ''L. testaceipes'' is a solitary, koinobiont endoparasitoid of aphids.Wharton, Robert A.; Marsh, Paul M.; Sharkey, Michael J. (1997). ''Manual of the New World Genera of the Family Braconidae (Hymenoptera)'' (PDF). Washington DC: The International Society of Hymenopterists. This means that adult females lay a single egg inside of an aphid host. The egg hatches after two days and the

larval A larva (; : larvae ) is a distinct juvenile form many animals undergo before metamorphosis into their next life stage. Animals with indirect development such as insects, some arachnids, amphibians, or cnidarians typically have a larval phase ...

wasp then develops inside the still living aphid. When the larva has finished feeding after 6 to 8 days, it kills the aphid, leaving the skin as a protective hardened shell, or mummy. The larva then cuts a hole in the bottom of the aphid mummy to attach it to the plant with silk. The larvae pupates within this mummy and exits after 4 or 5 days as an adult, chewing a hole in the top of the mummy. Developmental time can be influenced by temperature.

Hosts

''L. testaceipes'' has a notably wide host range, exceeding 100 aphid species in several genera. Hosts include ''

Aphis craccivora ''Aphis craccivora'', variously known as the cowpea aphid, groundnut aphid or black legume aphid, is a true bug in the family ''Aphididae''. Originally of probable Palearctic origin, it is now an invasive species of cosmopolitan distribution. ...

'', '' Schizaphis graminum'', ''

Melanaphis sacchari The sugarcane aphid, (''Melanaphis sacchari''), is an aphid in the superfamily Aphidoidea in the order Hemiptera. It is a true bug and sucks sap from plants. It is mostly found in '' Saccharum'' and ''Sorghum'' species. The species primarily re ...

'' and ''

Myzus persicae ''Myzus persicae'', known as the green peach aphid, greenfly, or the peach-potato aphid, is a small green aphid belonging to the order Hemiptera. It is the most significant aphid pest of peach trees, causing decreased growth, shrivelling of the ...

''.

References

External links

DNA barcodes at BOLD systems
{{Taxonbar, from=Q2882685 Braconidae Taxa named by Ezra Townsend Cresson