7.6.3 The Major Dipterous Pests and Their Ichneumonoidea
Parasitoids
Within the order Diptera, two families Agromyzidae and Tephritidae comprise the
most important and key pests of crops and fruit trees in Iran (Esmaili 1983; Khanjani
2004; Rajabi 2011).
The family Agromyzidae is a species-rich family of Diptera commonly known as
leafminers. In Iran, there have been known 26 species of the family Agromyzidae
and most of them have agricultural importance and known as pests (Dousti 2010).
Chromatomyia horticola (Goureau) is a polyphagous pest of vegetable crops in the
families Asteraceae, Brassicaceae and Fabaceae like tomato and cabbage and distributed in temperate and tropical regions of the world. So far, four species of
Braconidae have been reported as parasitoids of C. horticola from Iran (Table 7.7)
(Hazini et al. 2015). Globally, 35 species of the family Braconidae and 40 species of
Chalicidoidea have been associated with C. horticola (Yu et al. 2012). Liriomyza is
another genus of the family Agraomyzidae contains more than 300 species worldwide. Species of the genus injures to a wide range of vegetables and ornamental
plants. One Braconid parasitoid has been reported on Liriomyza cicerina from Iran
(Table 7.7).
Tephritid fruit flies (Dip.: Tephritidae) comprise more than 4400 phytophagous
species in the world feeding on the reproductive organs of plants. Some species such
as Ceratitis capitata (Wiedemann), Bacterocera oleae (Rossi) and Rhagoletis cerasi
(L.) are among well-known and economically the most important pests of fruit crops
around the world as well as Iran (Rajabi 2011). A wide effort has been made on the
implementation and releasing the biological control agents as an ecologically safe
and long term integrated pest management programs of tephritid fruit flies. For
example, Phygadeuon wiesmanni (Sachtleben) (Hym.: Ichneumonidae) is a major
parasitoid of European cherry fruit fly, R. cerasi and released against R. pomonella
(Walsh) from 1985 in Ontario (Hagley et al. 1993). Recently, Pourhaji et al. (2016)
studied the Ichneumonidae parasitoids of tephritid fruit flies on the plants of the
family Asteraceae in the west of Iran and found five ichneumonid species on four
species of tephritid fruit flies (Table 7.7). The biology and parasitism rate of Fopius
carpomyiae as a parasitoid of the fruit fly, Carpomyia vesuviana Costa (Dip.:
Tephritidae) showed that naturally 20–26% of larvae were parasitized by this species
(Farar et al. 2002).
7.7 Conclusion and Future Directions
Research on the collecting, rearing, identification and possibility of application of
parasitoid wasps of the superfamilies Chalcidoidea and Ichneumonoidea have been
accelerated during two recent decades in Iran. Future studies on different agricultural
and forest ecosystems especially intact ones will introduce valuable native
7 Parasitic Wasps: Chalcidoidea and Ichneumonoidea
273
Parasitoids
Within the order Diptera, two families Agromyzidae and Tephritidae comprise the
most important and key pests of crops and fruit trees in Iran (Esmaili 1983; Khanjani
2004; Rajabi 2011).
The family Agromyzidae is a species-rich family of Diptera commonly known as
leafminers. In Iran, there have been known 26 species of the family Agromyzidae
and most of them have agricultural importance and known as pests (Dousti 2010).
Chromatomyia horticola (Goureau) is a polyphagous pest of vegetable crops in the
families Asteraceae, Brassicaceae and Fabaceae like tomato and cabbage and distributed in temperate and tropical regions of the world. So far, four species of
Braconidae have been reported as parasitoids of C. horticola from Iran (Table 7.7)
(Hazini et al. 2015). Globally, 35 species of the family Braconidae and 40 species of
Chalicidoidea have been associated with C. horticola (Yu et al. 2012). Liriomyza is
another genus of the family Agraomyzidae contains more than 300 species worldwide. Species of the genus injures to a wide range of vegetables and ornamental
plants. One Braconid parasitoid has been reported on Liriomyza cicerina from Iran
(Table 7.7).
Tephritid fruit flies (Dip.: Tephritidae) comprise more than 4400 phytophagous
species in the world feeding on the reproductive organs of plants. Some species such
as Ceratitis capitata (Wiedemann), Bacterocera oleae (Rossi) and Rhagoletis cerasi
(L.) are among well-known and economically the most important pests of fruit crops
around the world as well as Iran (Rajabi 2011). A wide effort has been made on the
implementation and releasing the biological control agents as an ecologically safe
and long term integrated pest management programs of tephritid fruit flies. For
example, Phygadeuon wiesmanni (Sachtleben) (Hym.: Ichneumonidae) is a major
parasitoid of European cherry fruit fly, R. cerasi and released against R. pomonella
(Walsh) from 1985 in Ontario (Hagley et al. 1993). Recently, Pourhaji et al. (2016)
studied the Ichneumonidae parasitoids of tephritid fruit flies on the plants of the
family Asteraceae in the west of Iran and found five ichneumonid species on four
species of tephritid fruit flies (Table 7.7). The biology and parasitism rate of Fopius
carpomyiae as a parasitoid of the fruit fly, Carpomyia vesuviana Costa (Dip.:
Tephritidae) showed that naturally 20–26% of larvae were parasitized by this species
(Farar et al. 2002).
7.7 Conclusion and Future Directions
Research on the collecting, rearing, identification and possibility of application of
parasitoid wasps of the superfamilies Chalcidoidea and Ichneumonoidea have been
accelerated during two recent decades in Iran. Future studies on different agricultural
and forest ecosystems especially intact ones will introduce valuable native
7 Parasitic Wasps: Chalcidoidea and Ichneumonoidea
273