Archytas marmoratus

(Townsend, 1915)

marbled bristle fly

Archytas marmoratus is a tachinid bristle fly and member of the marmoratus group. It is a larval-pupal of noctuid caterpillars, particularly the corn earworm (Helicoverpa zea) and fall armyworm (Spodoptera frugiperda). In 1986, it was successfully employed in programs against the fall armyworm. The species has been used in inundative release programs, achieving rates exceeding 90% in isolated corn fields.

Archytas marmoratus by (c) Catherine C. Galley, some rights reserved (CC BY), uploaded by Catherine C. Galley. Used under a CC-BY license.Archytas marmoratus 83603229 by CK Kelly. Used under a CC BY 4.0 license.Archytas marmoratus 83603241 by CK Kelly. Used under a CC BY 4.0 license.

Pronunciation

How to pronounce Archytas marmoratus: /ˈɑːrkɪtæs ˌmɑːrməˈreɪtəs/

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Habitat

Agricultural and natural where caterpillars occur; frequent flowers and foliage.

Distribution

Widespread in the Americas: United States, Cuba, Haiti, Jamaica, Puerto Rico, Barbados, Grenada, Guadeloupe, Montserrat, Virgin Islands, Trinidad and Tobago, Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Guyana, Peru, Suriname, and Venezuela.

Diet

feed on nectar and honeydew; larvae develop as internal within caterpillars.

Host Associations

Life Cycle

laid on or near caterpillar; larva enters host and develops internally; mature larva emerges from host during late instar or prepupal stage and burrows into soil to pupate; emerges from . No observed in the —development continues above threshold temperature regardless of host diapause state.

Behavior

Exhibits , with females depositing multiple on or near a single ; among larvae typically results in only one emerging per host. Adults are and visit flowers for nectar. Shows strong host-finding capability, with rates positively correlated with host up to 0.8 km from release sites.

Ecological Role

agent; of agricultural pest caterpillars. Contributes to natural suppression of noctuid in corn and other crop systems.

Human Relevance

Used in programs against corn earworm and fall armyworm. Inundative releases of approximately 1500 females per hectare per week have achieved rates of 42% in non-isolated fields and over 90% in isolated fields of -stage corn. Represents a potential component of strategies.

Similar Taxa

  • Archytas metallicuscongeneric tachinid with similar size and general appearance; both found on flowers of Ericameria nauseosa and may co-occur in southwestern North America
  • Juriniopsis adustasimilar large, black, bristly tachinine appearance; both observed on rabbitbrush flowers in western North America and require careful examination for separation
  • Lespezia spp.congeneric or closely related tachinid of Spodoptera frugiperda; co-occur as parasitoids of fall armyworm in Puerto Rico and other regions

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Sources and further reading