Pests > Pests Entities > Insects > Insect surveys > PukaPuka Atoll, Cook Islands



Pests > Pests Entities > Insects > Insect surveys > PukaPuka Atoll, Cook Islands

Pests Pests Entities Insects Insect surveys PukaPuka Atoll, Cook Islands

Pukapuka Atoll, Cook Islands

April 2004. Assistance was requested with the identification of insects from Pukapuka Atoll, Cook Islands.

The following were suggested, but need confirmation:

1. Chalcid
2. ?Sapromyzidae
3. Asilidae
4. Dolichopodidae

1. ?Ephydridae/Agromyzidae
2. Tribe CLYTINI – named in New Zealand collection
3. Chironomidae

The parasite was thought to be Aprostocetus (Tetrastichodes) hagenowii (Ratzeburg). Diagnostic characters include: mesoscutum uniformaly covered with setae; fore coxa dark, hind coxa yellow; first segment of hind tarsus long – about 1.5 times longer than second segment. This species is known from tropical and subtropical regions throughout the world. It is a parasitoid of cockroach oothecae (primarily Periplaneta, Blatta and Blatella), and rarely as a hyperparasite on Evania appendigaster. Further information is given by Graham (1987) Bull. Brit. Mus. Nat. Hist, Ent., 55: 1-392 – p.89-91). Graham treated the genus Tetrastichodes (which contains hagenowii) as a subgenus of Aprostocetus. Biological information on this species is summarised by LeBeck (1991) Entomophaga 36: 335-352). Check the Universal Chalcidoidea Database website by John Noyes for information, references http://www.nhm.ac.uk/entomology/chalcidoids/.