Record of an egg parasite of cacao [Theobroma cacao] pod-borer in Indonesia

The discovery of Trichogrammatoidea spp. (Hymenoptera, Trichogrammatoidae) in Sabah and the Philippines prompted the interest to search for different egg, larval and pupal parasites of the cacao pod-borer Conopomorpha cramerella (Sn.) (Lepidoptera, Gracillriidae), particularly in the oldest cacao growing areas within South Asia. Hence, a trip early in 1984 made to Indonesia resulted in the discovery of a species of Trichogrammatoidea morphologically indistinguishable from T. conjuangcoi Nagaraja in the island of Halmahera, north east of Sulawesi. This parasite which appeared to exert fairly high parasitism was isolated and being bred and released against C. cramerella at Christensen farm in Davao del Sur, Philippines. Although morphologically similar to Philippines and Sabah populations, it was found to have only limited compatibility with them through crossing experiments. This paper also summaries early work carried.