First records of the Southeast Asian-Australasian lepidopteran egg parasitoid, telenomus remus nixon [hymenopter: scelionidae] in Việt Nam and lao PDR

The presence of Telenomus remus Nixon, a scelionid egg parasitoid of noctuids, including the fall army worm (Spodoptera frugiperda (J.E. Smith)) in Việt Nam and Lao PDR is reported. Records suggest that T. remus originated in Malesia, a region encompassing Malaysia, Indonesia, the Philippines, and northern Australasia. It subsequently spread more widely in Indochina and southern East Asia where its presence appears to have been overlooked due to the relatively low economic importance of hosts other than the recently introduced S. frugiperda, low levels of parasitism of some hosts, limited resources for surveys, and inadequate support within the region for the identification of taxa. Spread of the parasitoid may have been associated with phoresy and natural dispersal of hosts, with or without wind assistance, and movement of noctuid- and pyralid-infested plants by humans over land and sea.