Larval Parasitism of the Silver-Spotted Skipper, Epargyreus clarus (Cramer) (Lepidoptera: Hesperiidae), in the Washington, DC Area

摘要: Over a 4-year time span (2013–2016), we collected and reared several thousand larvae of the silver-spotted skipper butterfly, Epargyreus clarus (Cramer), from six different commonly used host plants growing at sites in around Washington, DC metropolitan area. Of these, more than 1500 survived to pupation or parasitoid emergence, with annual frequencies parasitism ranging 1.7–7.6%. More parasitoids tended emerge E. later season, varied significantly among plants. In total morphologically distinct species primary (all koinobiont endoparasitoids) larvae; these included four Braconidae single each Ichneumonidae Tachinidae. The braconid Pneumagathis spiracularis (Muesebeck) is reported as for first along plant associations P. spiracularis. New are ichneumonid Casinaria lamina (Viereck) parasitic on clarus. We also report trigonalid Orthogonalys pulchella (Cresson) new associations; other Tachinidae second record Braconidae. Images adult provided, relevant natural history data presented based our careful rearing protocol.