Research and application of Chouioia cunea Yang (Hymenoptera: Eulophidae) in China

Chouioia cunea Yang (Hymenoptera: Eulophidae) is an effective parasitoid of many lepidopteran pests in China. Specifically, C. cunea has successfully suppressed populations of the fall webworm, Hyphantria cunea (Drury) (Lepidoptera: Arctiidae), an invasive and quarantined pest in China. Fall webworm biological control programmes in China have been aided by the development of artificial rearing technology for C. cunea. While researchers have determined some aspects of this parasitoid’s biology, such as fecundity and ratio of female offspring, as well as rearing methods, there was less information on the behavioural and ecological mechanisms by which C. cunea regulates host populations. Here, we review the research and application of C. cunea since it was first discovered in China.