Abstract

CORTEZ-MADRIGAL, Hipólito; GARCIA-GONZALEZ, Fabián  and  GUZMAN-LARRALDE, Adriana. Preserving the monarch butterfly (Danaus plexippus L.), preserving natural enemies of pest. Rev. Chapingo ser. cienc. for. ambient [online]. 2014, vol.20, n.3, pp.247-253. ISSN 2007-4018.  https://doi.org/10.5154/r.rchscfa.2014.05.022.

The potential of the monarch butterfly (Danaus plexippus L.) as alternate host of natural enemies of pests was studied (from March 2012 to March 2013) at a plantation of Asclepias curassavica established at the Chapala Cienega, Villamar, Michoacán, Mexico. Therefore, Phytophagous eggs samples were collected and incubated in Petri dishes for the parasitism record. Results show that D. plexippus was present throughout the year in the study region, with the highest levels of oviposition during August-December. Trichogramma pretiosum Riley was the predominant parasitoid, with levels up to 100 % of parasitism; its major activity coincided with the highest levels of the phytophagous oviposition. Multiple emergences ofparasitoids in each butterfly egg contribute to the increase of T. pretiosum populations in field. Therefore, based on this, D. plexippus can be considered an excellent alternate host of T. pretiosum, natural enemy of Lepidoptera pests. In addition, the proposed strategy seeks to contribute to the conservation and increase of monarch populations; both through the preservation of its host (A. curassavica), and by the eventual reduction in the use of insecticides to kill pests.

Keywords : Alternate host; Asclepias; Trichogramma; lepidopteran pests.