NATURAL ENEMIES FOR THE CABBAGE WEBWORM, HELLULA-UNDALIS (FABR.) (LEPIDOPTERA, PYRALIDAE) IN MALAYSIA

Four species of larval parasitoids were reared from larvae of the cabb age webworm (CWW), Hellula undalis (Fabr.) (Pyralidae: Glaphyriinae) c ollected from various cruciferous plants and a capparidaceous weed, Cl eome rutidosperma (DC). On cabbage, only two species were recorded, vi z, Bassus sp. (Braconidae) and Trathala flavoorbitalis (Cam.) (Ichneum onidae). The other parasitoids were braconids, Chelonus sp. and Phaner otoma sp. Egg or pupal parasitoids were not recorded. The parasitoids were not an important mortality factor of CWW on cabbage because they were usually present at the end of the crop season and their numbers w ere generally low. On the other hand, predator-exclusion experiments i ndicated that predators were important in determining the density of C WW on cabbage and the within-generation survival in the field. The maj or predator was the fire-ant, Solenopsis geminata (F.), which foraged on the prepupae and pupae.