Lathrolestes

Förster, 1869

Lathrolestes is a of in the Ichneumonidae, tribe Perilissini, Ctenopelmatinae. The genus is best known from the L. ensator, a agent of the apple sawfly Hoplocampa testudinea in orchards.

Lathrolestes by (c) Owen Strickland, some rights reserved (CC BY), uploaded by Owen Strickland. Used under a CC-BY license.Lathrolestes pictus by the Smithsonian. Used under a CC0 license.Lathrolestes pictus by the Smithsonian. Used under a CC0 license.

Pronunciation

How to pronounce Lathrolestes: /læθ.ɹoʊˈlɛs.tiːz/

These audio files are automatically generated. While they are not always 100% accurate, they are a good starting point.

Images

Habitat

Apple orchards and associated where occur.

Distribution

Native to Europe; introduced to North America for (released in New York, Quebec, and Vancouver Island). Distribution records from Denmark, Norway, and Sweden.

Host Associations

  • Hoplocampa testudinea - Primary ; second-instar larvae are the preferred stage. emerge in synchrony with this host stage.

Life Cycle

females carry 120–175 but typically lay fewer than half. Eggs and mining larvae are most vulnerable to ; older larvae survive parasitism at approximately 90% rate. Descending host larvae construct cocoons in soil; failure rates range from 7–31%, highest in clay soil. Both host and may experience prolonged in the cocoon stage.

Ecological Role

agent of apple sawfly (Hoplocampa testudinea), a pest of apple (Malus pumila). are influenced by soil type, fungal in cocoons, and duration.

Human Relevance

Used as a agent against the European apple sawfly in North American orchards. Net reproductive rate calculations indicate that 60% of larvae is required to stop growth, or less if host and young larvae additional mortality from .

Tags

Sources and further reading