Chapter 6
Egg Parasitoids: Chalcidoidea
with Particular Emphasis
on Trichogrammatidae
Shahzad Iranipour and Nahid Vaez
6.1 Introduction
Superfamily Chalcidoidea is one of the most important and richest groups of
Hymenoptera. Chalcids are often small and shiny insects. They immediately can
be recognized by a reduced wing venation. Maximum four longitudinal veins are
present in front wings (Fig. 6.1). Venation of platygastrids may resembles this
general pattern, but chalcids may easily be recognized by quadrate pronotum in
lateral view and a distinct distance between tegula and pronotum which sometimes
filled by a sclerit namely prepectus or post-spiracular sclerit (Fig. 6.1). Some minute
specimens like members of Trichogrammatidae and Aphelinidae are without metallic coloration and metasoma fused to mesosoma by a thorough contact. Chalcids are
sometimes very strange in appearance.
Due to such vast diversity, very miscellaneous life styles have been evolved
among them. Some species are phytophagous like agaonids that are pollinators of
Ficus spp. and some eurytomids. Eurytoma amygdali Enderlein, Eurytoma
plotnikovi Nikolskaya and Megastigmus pistaciae Walker (Hym., Torymidae) are
important pests of almond and pistachio respectively (Behdad 1991). But the major
fame of the superfamily is due to presence of a vast kind of parasitoid of numerous
insect species. Almost all stages of insects are attacked by chalcids. Both primary
parasitoids and hyperparasitoids are present in this family. They are the most
important group of parasitoids in applied biological control. Many insect orders
may be attacked by chalcids. In this chapter we focused only on egg parasitoids. In
this regards the most important family is Trichogrammatidae. Except a few species,
all remaining trichogrammatids are egg parasitoids of moths and seldom other
S. Iranipour (*)
University of Tabriz, Tabriz, Iran
N. Vaez
Azarbaijan Shahid Madani University, Tabriz, Iran
© The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2021
J. Karimi, H. Madadi (eds.), Biological Control of Insect and Mite Pests in Iran,
Progress in Biological Control 18, https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-63990-7_6
197
Egg Parasitoids: Chalcidoidea
with Particular Emphasis
on Trichogrammatidae
Shahzad Iranipour and Nahid Vaez
6.1 Introduction
Superfamily Chalcidoidea is one of the most important and richest groups of
Hymenoptera. Chalcids are often small and shiny insects. They immediately can
be recognized by a reduced wing venation. Maximum four longitudinal veins are
present in front wings (Fig. 6.1). Venation of platygastrids may resembles this
general pattern, but chalcids may easily be recognized by quadrate pronotum in
lateral view and a distinct distance between tegula and pronotum which sometimes
filled by a sclerit namely prepectus or post-spiracular sclerit (Fig. 6.1). Some minute
specimens like members of Trichogrammatidae and Aphelinidae are without metallic coloration and metasoma fused to mesosoma by a thorough contact. Chalcids are
sometimes very strange in appearance.
Due to such vast diversity, very miscellaneous life styles have been evolved
among them. Some species are phytophagous like agaonids that are pollinators of
Ficus spp. and some eurytomids. Eurytoma amygdali Enderlein, Eurytoma
plotnikovi Nikolskaya and Megastigmus pistaciae Walker (Hym., Torymidae) are
important pests of almond and pistachio respectively (Behdad 1991). But the major
fame of the superfamily is due to presence of a vast kind of parasitoid of numerous
insect species. Almost all stages of insects are attacked by chalcids. Both primary
parasitoids and hyperparasitoids are present in this family. They are the most
important group of parasitoids in applied biological control. Many insect orders
may be attacked by chalcids. In this chapter we focused only on egg parasitoids. In
this regards the most important family is Trichogrammatidae. Except a few species,
all remaining trichogrammatids are egg parasitoids of moths and seldom other
S. Iranipour (*)
University of Tabriz, Tabriz, Iran
N. Vaez
Azarbaijan Shahid Madani University, Tabriz, Iran
© The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2021
J. Karimi, H. Madadi (eds.), Biological Control of Insect and Mite Pests in Iran,
Progress in Biological Control 18, https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-63990-7_6
197