Cotesia
Cotesia is a genus of braconid wasps first described by Peter Cameron in 1891. Some species parasitize caterpillars of species considered as pests. Thus they are used as biocontrol agents. Cotesia congregata parasitizes the tomato and the tobacco hornworms. C. glomerata and C. rubecula feed on the cabbage white and other white butterfly caterpillars. C. gonopterygis and C. risilis are host-specific and parasitize the common brimstone.
The wasp C. melanoscelus parasitizes the caterpillar of the gypsy moth. It, and the gypsy moth, are native to Europe. The gypsy moth is an invasive species in North America, and C. melanoscelus has been imported as a biocontrol of the moth.Species
