2018). There are more than 1270 described species of encyrtids in the Palaearctic
region (Yasnosh and Japoshvili 1999; Japoshvili 2007a, 2007b; Japoshvili and
Abrantes 2006; Japoshvili and Noyes 2005, 2006). Many encyrtids have been
used successfully for control of mealybugs (Pseudococcidae) and many soft scales
(Coccidae).
Iranian Encyrtidae includes 149 species representing 48 genera (Fallahzadeh and
Japoshvili 2010; Lotfalizadeh 2010a, 2010b; Fallahzadeh and Japoshvili 2013,
2017). Host information from Iran and distributional data are also provided.
Four new species, Gyranusoidea iranica Japoshvili and Fallahzadeh and
Microterys iranicus Japoshvili and Fallahzadeh, Metaphycus davoodii Lotfalizadeh,
Ooencyrtus ferdowsii Ebrahimi and Noyes are described and diagnostic characters
are provided for them (Fallahzadeh and Japoshvili 2010, 2013; Lotfalizadeh 2010a;
Ebrahimi et al. 2014).
Members of this family attack insect pests of the order Hemiptera (68% of hosts)
and the suborder Sternorrhyncha (Hemiptera) is the most important recorded hosts
with 56% records (see Fig. 7.2).
7.3.3 Eulophidae
Eulophidae is one of the largest families of Chalcidoidea, with over 297 genera and
4472 described species worldwide (Noyes 2018). The family has a total of 39 genera
and 122 species known in Iran (Hesami et al. 2010; Talebi et al. 2011).
Fig. 7.2 Biological association of the Encyrtidae family in the Iranian fauna
242
H. Lotfalizadeh and A. Mohammadi-Khoramabadi