478 Invasive Stink Bugs and Related Species (Pentatomoidea)
conditions (see Section 10.3.2.1, Host Plants) induced by elevation, shade, weather, and coffee tree mor-
phology also are crucial factors impacting population dynamics in plantation. Another factor that will be
addressed in the next section is natural enemies, which are numerous for Antestia bugs.
10.4 Predators and Parasites
10.4.1 Predators
Carayon (1954a), in his study of Antestiopsis in West Africa, recorded some generalist predators
of A. intricata including assassin bugs (Heteroptera: Reduviidae), specifically Pseudophonoctonus
formosus (Distant), Hediocoris fasciatus Reuter, Nagusta punctaticollis Stål, and Rhynocoris
albopunctatus Stål. A recent study in Cameroon confirmed the presence of these species in Arabica
coffee and showed the dominance of P. formosus, which was both the most common and the most
active predator (Mbondji Mbondji 2001). Some mantid species (Mantodea: Mantidae) also were
recorded on Arabica coffee preying on nymphs and adults of A. intricata in West Africa (Carayon
1954a) and in Ethiopia (IAR 1984), and on nymphs and adults of A. thunbergii ghesquierei in Rwanda
(Sylver Habumugisha, unpublished data).
10.4.2 Egg Parasitoids
Most reported Antestia egg parasitoids are from the family Platygastridae: the Scelioninae Gryon
fulviventre (Crawford) (=Hadronotus antestiae Dodd) has been collected from eggs of Antestiopsis
intricata, A. thunbergii bechuana, A. thunbergii ghesquierei and A. facetoides, with collections on
coffee from Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi, the DRC, and Cameroon (Brion 1963,
Greathead 1966b, Mbondji Mbondji 2001). The telenomine Telenomus (=Asolcus) sechellensis
(Kieffer) is an egg parasitoid of A. intricata, A. facetoides and of different A. thunbergii forms and
subspecies, with a distribution on coffee in Kenya, Tanzania, Ethiopia, Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi,
Seychelles, South Africa, and Cameroon (Brion 1963, Greathead 1966b, Mugo and Ndoiru 1997,
Mbondji Mbondji 2001). Two telenomines, Trissolcus (=Asolcus) mopsus (Nixon) and Trissolcus
(=Asolcus) suranus (Nixon), were recorded from eggs of A. thunbergii ghesquierei and A. intricata.
T. mopsus is distributed on coffee in Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi, Cameroon, Ethiopia, and South
Africa, whereas T. suranus is present only in Uganda.
The family Eupelmidae includes one egg parasitoid, Anastatus antestiae Ferrière, collected from
Antestiopsis intricata, A. thunbergii bechuana, and A. thunbergii ghesquierei. This parasitoid is dis-
tributed on coffee in Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi, the DRC, and Cameroon. The family
Pteromalidae also includes an egg parasitoid of Antestia bugs, Acroclisoides africanus Ferrière, with
similar hosts and distribution as the Eupelmidae. A genus of Encyrtidae, Ooencyrtus, was noted as an
Antestia egg parasitoid in Kenya (Le Pelley 1968).
Pediobius and Aprostocetus, hyperparasitoids in the family Eulophidae, were collected from Antestia
eggs in Uganda, and Uganda and Rwanda, respectively. Another hyperparasitoid, from the subfamily
Scelioninae, was identified as Baryconus sp. in Kenya (Le Pelley 1968).
10.4.3 Nymph and Adult Parasitoids
Three species in the family Braconidae have been reported as nymphal parasitoids of Antestia bugs. The
most common species, Aridelus coffeae Brues, was collected from nymphs of Antestiopsis thunbergii
bechuana, A. thunbergii ghesquierei, A. facetoides, and A. intricata with a distribution on coffee in
Kenya, Tanzania, and Uganda; Aridelus taylori Nixon has been reared from A. thunbergii ghesquierei
and A. intricata in Uganda, and Aridelus rufus Cameron was obtained from A. thunbergii bechuana in
Tanzania. These three species preferred to attack young nymphs such as the second and third instars.
Parasitized first instars usually die thus depriving the parasite a chance to develop (Kirkpatrick 1937,
Greathead 1966b, Le Pelley 1968).