DNA sequencing to help identify crop pests and their natural enemies in agro-ecosystems: The case of the millet head miner Heliocheilus albipunctella (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) in sub-Saharan Africa

MHM was by far the main herbivore on millet, with a relative abundance of 97%. Predators were mostly ants (28%), earwigs (Forficula senegalensis, 26%), mirids (20%), spiders (12%), carabid larvae (7%), flower bugs (Orius maxidentex, 6%), and ladybirds (Declivitata hamata, 1%). In all, 13 primary parasitoid species were collected, including five new species. Parasitism was dominated by three key species, including Trichogrammatoidea armigera (12.4% of egg parasitism), Copidosoma primulum and Schoelandella spp. (46 and 32% of larval parasitism, respectively). A primary reference database including standard and mini-barcode sequences of specimens attributed to species (15) was designed as a reliable tool for assisting arthropod identification. The results will be helpful when selecting candidates for augmentative biological control in millet-based agro-ecosystems in sub-Saharan Africa.