Life Cycle and Host Specificity of the Parasitoid Conura annulifera (Hymenoptera: Chalcididae), a Potential Biological Control Agent of Philornis downsi (Diptera: Muscidae) in the Galápagos Islands

Research identifies Conura annulifera as a potential biological control agent for Philornis downsi, an invasive fly threatening Darwin's finches in the Galápagos Islands. The study reveals that C. annulifera is a solitary pupal ectoparasitoid with high host specificity, successfully reproducing only when exposed to P. downsi pupae and causing developmental mortality in hosts beyond successful parasitism. Field collections from Ecuador and laboratory experiments demonstrated its narrow host range, including no progeny production on non-target dipteran, lepidopteran, or hymenopteran species. This first record of C. annulifera in Ecuador provides foundational data for evaluating its efficacy as a biocontrol agent to mitigate the ecological impact of P. downsi on vulnerable finch populations.

Bulgarella, M., Quiroga, M. A., Boulton, R. A., Ramírez, I. E., Moon, R. D., Causton, C. E., & Heimpel, G. E. (2017). Life Cycle and Host Specificity of the Parasitoid Conura annulifera (Hymenoptera: Chalcididae), a Potential Biological Control Agent of Philornis downsi (Diptera: Muscidae) in the Galápagos Islands. Annals of the Entomological Society of America, 110(3), 317–328. https://doi.org/10.1093/aesa/saw102