Wasp eat wasp: facultative hyperparasitism and intra-guild predation by bethylid wasps

Bethylid wasps are primary parasitoids of coleopteran and lepidopteran pests of economic importance and have thus been deployed as biological control agents. We show that Cephalonomia hyalinipennis (Hym.: Bethylidae) is also a facultative hyperparasitoid of four other bethylid species: Cephalonomia stephanoderis and Prorops nasuta, natural enemies of the coffee berry borer, Hypothenemus hampei (Col.: Scolytidae), and of Goniozus nephantidis and Goniozus legneri, which have been released against lepidopteran pests of coconuts and almonds, respectively. Conspecific and allospecific ovicide and larvicide are also observed, constituting intra-guild predation. Such trophic interactions have the potential to disrupt biological control in coffee, coconut, and almond agroecosystems.