Cotesia icipe

Cotesia icipe is a parasitoid species of wasp of the genus Cotesia. Found in tropical Africa and the Arabian Peninsula, it was first discovered as a parasitoid of the Lepidopterans Spodoptera littoralis and beet armyworm. Therefore it is now being studied as a possible pest control|biological control] of Lepidopteran pests of amaranth crops in those areas.

Range

, Madagascar, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, Yemen, and Ethiopia.

Hosts

S. exigua, a native host
S. littoralis, a native host
S. frugiperda - C. icipe is the primary parasitoid of the invasive agricultural pest S. frugiperda in Ethiopia, and a minor one in Kenya.