Cook Islands Biodiversity Database

Species Page

Back to: «« Search Page | « Results Page

Add to My List

Diplazon laetatorius

Hoverfly Wasp

Multimedia & Additional Resources

Type	Description	Download
Image:	Female egg-laying (Rarotonga)	46KB

General Information

COMMON NAMES: Hoverfly Wasp

GLOBAL DISTRIBUTION: RANGE Circumglobal, incl. Oceania

COOK ISLANDS STATUS: Introduced - Recent, Naturalised; Land, parasite on hoverflies

SIGNIFICANCE LIST: Biocontrol - released 1975

KEY FEATURES: Small robust wasp to 6mmBL. HEAD black with large eyes, antennae 4mm. THORAX robust, black. WINGS both clear with solid triangular sector mid-anterior edge, veins brown. ABDOMEN anterior ascending, short, black; posterior long, cylindrical, brown to black. LEGS pale brown; hindlegs outer-main-segment black with wide white band, and outer sections black. A parthenogenic species.

SIMILAR SPECIES: White band on hindlegs very distinctive.

Enlarged Image of 'Diplazon laetatorius'

Cook Islands Distribution

View Distribution Map

Southern Group: Present Makatea:
RR	MG	AT	MK	MT	AK	PL	TK	MN
P					P

Northern Group:
TN	MH	RK	PK	NS	SW

Key to Symbols

blank	no data
-	absent	L	localised
X	extinct 'naturally'	W	widespread
XQi	quarantine intercepted	R	recent
XQe	eradicated	?	query preceding category
P	present	T?	taxonomic query
S	seasonal	nn	present, said to have no name
O	occasional	?1	present, name not investigated
++++	very common	?2	presence not verified, no name recorded
+++	common	N/A	absent, name not expected
++	uncommon
+	rare
Cook Islands islands: RR =Rarotonga, MG = Mangaia, AT =‘Ātiu, MK=Ma‘uke, MT=Miti‘āro, AK=Aitutaki, PL=Palmerston, PN=Penrhyn, MN=Manuae, TK=Takūtea, TN=Tongareva (TS=Tongaleva Spoken, TW=Tongareva Written, they say "el" but write "r"), MH=Manihiki, RK=Rakahanga, PK=Pukapuka, NS=Nassau, SW=Suwarrow. After a Polynesian name: ^=orthography query. Countries and other: FIJ=Fiji, WT=Wallis & Futuna, SAM=Samoa, TON=Tonga, NIU=Niue, CK=Cook Islands, CKM=Cook Islands Māori, FP=French Polynesia, AUS=Australs, SOC=Societies, TAH=Tahiti, TUA=Tuamotus, MQS=Marquesas, MNG=Mangareva, PIT=Pitcain group, EAS=Easter Island, HAW=Hawai‘i, NZ=New Zealand, NZM=New Zealand Māori

Scientific Taxonomy

Diplazon laetatorius (Fabricius)
SYNONYMS: Ichneumon laetatorius Fabricius; Bassus laetatorius Fabricius; Scolobates varipes Smith

TAXONOMY: ANIMALIA; ARTHROPODA; ATELOCERATA; HEXAPODA; INSECTA; PTERYGOTA; Hymenoptera; Apocrita; Parasitica; Ichneumonoidea; ICHNEUMONIDAE

More Information

SIGNIFICANCE NOTES -
POSITIVE SIGNIFICANCE: Biocontrol - released 1975. Comments: Parasite of Hover Flies [SYRPHIDAE] (Allograpta & Isichiodon), reared on Rarotonga and Aitutaki 1975. Associated with Cucumber, Sweet Orange and Watermelon plants. (Walker & Deitz 1979)

Vouchers & References

Vouchers:
Rarotonga: specimen, 8/1949, Coll. L.J.D. in NZAC; 10 specimens 1954&5, W.Cottier, in NZAC; UN-SPEC79; one specimen, 10/197, A.K.Walker, in NZAC; fieldspecimen+photoDiplazon laetatorius. Aitutaki: two specimens, 10/197, A.K.Walker, in NZAC.

References:
Special Reference: W&D79

Data Update History (information):
zTX, zB02, zM04a, zD03b

Web Resources

Citation Information

McCormack, Gerald (2007) Cook Islands Biodiversity Database, Version 2007.2. Cook Islands Natural Heritage Trust, Rarotonga. Online at http://cookislands.bishopmuseum.org.
Please refer to our use policy.

Biodiversity Database: More Options | Help

My List: View List | Edit List | Clear List