Charops ganges (Hymenoptera: Ichneumonidae) as larval parasitoid of Selepa celtis Moore (Lepidoptera: Nolidae) rediscovered after about a century from Dehradun, India

Abstract

Species of Charops Holmgren are known to be koinobiont endoparasitoids of Lepidoptera larvae attacking a wide range of families. Charops ganges is amongst the 10 species of Charops reported and described from various parts of India. C. ganges (Hymenoptera: Ichneumonidae) is one such Indian species, which has been reported to parasitize the larvae of Selepa celtis, Achaea janata and species under Arctiid and Lymantrid. The C. ganges has been rediscovered as a parasite of the S. celtis again from Dehradun, Uttarakhand, India after about a century. The photographic evidence of both the parasite and the host has been provided in the present article for the first time. Further studies on the ecology, biology and potential of this insect parasitoid as bio-pesticide have been advocated.