Compsilura

Bouché, 1834

Species Guides

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Compsilura is a of tachinid flies (Diptera: Tachinidae) established by Bouché in 1834. The genus includes several , with Compsilura concinnata being the most extensively studied due to its historical use as a agent. Species in this genus are of Lepidoptera larvae and have been introduced to multiple continents for pest management. The genus has been implicated in unintended ecological impacts, particularly C. concinnata's role in declines of native silk in North America.

Compsilura concinnata 1 by Gerson Tavares. Used under a CC BY 2.0 license.Bulletin of the U.S. Department of Agriculture (1915) (20500292795) by United States. Dept. of Agriculture. Used under a No restrictions license.Compsilura concinnata (10.3897-zookeys.934.50823) Figure 1 by Scaramozzino PL, Di Giovanni F, Loni A, Gisondi S, Lucchi A, Cerretti P (2020) Tachinid (Diptera, Tachinidae) parasitoids of Lobesia botrana (Denis & Schiffermüller, 1775) (Lepidoptera, Tortricidae) and other moths. ZooKeys 934: 111-140. https://doi.org/10.3897/zookeys.934.50823. Used under a CC BY 4.0 license.

Pronunciation

How to pronounce Compsilura: /kɒmpˈsɪlʊra/

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Distribution

Native to the Palearctic region; introduced to North America and other regions. Records from Mozambique, Malawi, and South Africa suggest presence in parts of Africa. Documented in Denmark, Norway, and Sweden based on GBIF distribution records.

Host Associations

Life Cycle

For Compsilura concinnata: females deposit directly into larvae using a sickle-shaped ovipositor, usually one egg per ovipositional attack. All larval instars develop in the host between the and gut wall. Successful development from egg to occurs at 15.0–27.5°C; at 30°C pupariation occurs but adults fail to emerge. Lower developmental threshold is approximately 7.7–8.7°C depending on sex. Total effective temperature requirements: 404.4 for females, 342.1 for males. Development time decreases with rising temperature within viable range. Larval development on second-instar hosts takes twice as long as on fourth-instar hosts.

Behavior

Compsilura concinnata females exhibit high activity levels when first encountering preferred such as gypsy moth larvae, with examination and attack rates decreasing after conditioning to that host. The retains preference for gypsy moth over alternative hosts like Galleria mellonella regardless of prior exposure history. occurs primarily during daylight hours (6:00 AM to 6:00 PM EST) with little activity. Females frequently fail to deposit during oviposition attempts regardless of host movement, indicating imperfect oviposition is not caused by host defensive .

Ecological Role

of Lepidoptera larvae. Acts as a natural enemy of various , with documented impacts on both target pest species and non-target native moths. influenced by tritrophic interactions involving plant chemistry.

Human Relevance

Introduced to North America in the early 20th century for of gypsy moth and brown-tail moth. Has been implicated in declines and local extirpations of native giant silk moths (Saturniidae) in New England, including Hyalophora cecropia and Automeris io. rates on these native were historically high (68–81%) but have declined in recent decades. Continues to be studied for potential use against agricultural pests such as Pieris rapae and Spodoptera litura.

Similar Taxa

  • Epicampocera succinctaBoth are tachinid of Pieris larvae, but E. succincta is a restricted to mountainous areas with continuous , while Compsilura concinnata is a found in all with peaking in autumn

More Details

Taxonomic composition

The includes six recognized : Compsilura concinnata (Meigen, 1824), C. lobata Tachi & Komagata 2021, C. malayana Tachi & Shima 2021, C. pauciseta Tachi & Huang 2021, C. solitaria (Curran, 1940), and C. sumatrensis Townsend, 1926. Recent taxonomic work by Tachi and colleagues has expanded the genus with descriptions of three new species from Asia in 2021.

Microhabitat preferences

When attacking gypsy moth, Compsilura concinnata parasitizes most heavily near the ground, especially on leaves. This pattern suggests the is most effective against young caterpillars (instars 1–3), as these are the only stages consistently found on or near foliage during daylight hours when the fly is active.

Host quality effects

is indirectly affected by plant chemistry. When gypsy moth larvae feed on diets supplemented with tannic acid, resulting Compsilura concinnata females are smaller with reduced . This effect is mediated through reduced host quality rather than direct . The parasitoid shows greater of than many hymenopteran parasitoids.

Historical parasitism decline

Field studies in New England documented a dramatic reduction in Compsilura concinnata on saturniid larvae between the late 1990s and 2017–2018. Parasitism on Hyalophora cecropia dropped from 81% to 3–19%, and on Callosamia promethea from 68% to 0–1%. The cause of this decline remains unclear but represents a significant shift in - dynamics.

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