Potential of the parasitoid Heterospilus prosopidis (Hymenoptera: Braconidae) as a vector of plant‐pathogenic Colletotrichum spp.

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Abstract
Summary: A braconid parasitoid Heterospilus prosopidis was contaminated with either Colletotrichum coffeanum or C. gloeosporioides, causal agents of coffee berry disease and mango anthracnose respectively. Adult parasitoids could collect wetted and unwetted spores of both pathogens on their bodies. Viable spores were recovered in washings from these insects 10 days after infestation. Wetted spores of both species of pathogen had lower viability on the parasitoid's body than unwetted spores, probably because of the loss of the mucilage coating which protects against desiccation. The results suggest that the use of a related parasitoid, H. coffeicola, in biological control against the coffee berry borer, Hypothenemus hampei could pose a phytosanitary risk.