Chapter 8
Superfamily Platygastroidea: Natural
Enemies of True Bugs, Moths, Other
Insects, and Spiders
Shahzad Iranipour
8.1 Introduction
In previous classifications, both families of Scelionidae and Platygastridae included
in superfamily Proctotrupoidea (Kozlov 1988). Later these families separated from
Proctotrupoidea and appeared as superfamily Platygastroidea (Triplehorn and Johnson 2005). However, more recently, both families merged as a single family of
Platygastridae and hence subfamilies of Scelioninae, Teleasinae and Telenominae
account as subfamilies of platygastridae (Aguiar et al. 2013). These are minute
(at most a few millimetres), and often blackish wasps with reduced venation
particularly in platygastrins. Maximum four longitudinal veins namely submarginal,
marginal, post-marginal and radial or stigmal veins appear in forewings. Such
venation resembles those of the chalcids (superfamily Chalcidoidea), but
platygastrids can easily be separated with the structure of thorax. The triangular
shape of mesonotum in lateral view, an absence of post-spiracular sclerite
(prepectus) and tegulae touching mesonotum are characteristics separating the
members of Platygastridae from those of the Chalcidoidea. Former Scelionidae is
endoparasitoids of insect eggs (mainly Hemiptera, Lepidoptera and Orthoptera in
Iran) as well as spiders. Former Platygastridae is also mainly parasitoids of larvae of
gall midges (Cecidomyiidae) (Triplehorn and Johnson 2005) that are not the subject
of this chapter.
The most important target pests of these egg parasitoids in Iran are true bugs of
cereals and pistachio; serious pests of their host plants. Pistachio is exported to
different Asian and European countries. On the other hand, wheat is a strategic crop
in Iran that constitutes the highest item in the food basket of Iranian people. Selfsufficiency in wheat production is the first priority of Iran’s Ministry of Agriculture,
S. Iranipour (*)
University of Tabriz, Tabriz, Iran
e-mail: shiranipour@tabrizu.ac.ir
© 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_8
293
Superfamily Platygastroidea: Natural
Enemies of True Bugs, Moths, Other
Insects, and Spiders
Shahzad Iranipour
8.1 Introduction
In previous classifications, both families of Scelionidae and Platygastridae included
in superfamily Proctotrupoidea (Kozlov 1988). Later these families separated from
Proctotrupoidea and appeared as superfamily Platygastroidea (Triplehorn and Johnson 2005). However, more recently, both families merged as a single family of
Platygastridae and hence subfamilies of Scelioninae, Teleasinae and Telenominae
account as subfamilies of platygastridae (Aguiar et al. 2013). These are minute
(at most a few millimetres), and often blackish wasps with reduced venation
particularly in platygastrins. Maximum four longitudinal veins namely submarginal,
marginal, post-marginal and radial or stigmal veins appear in forewings. Such
venation resembles those of the chalcids (superfamily Chalcidoidea), but
platygastrids can easily be separated with the structure of thorax. The triangular
shape of mesonotum in lateral view, an absence of post-spiracular sclerite
(prepectus) and tegulae touching mesonotum are characteristics separating the
members of Platygastridae from those of the Chalcidoidea. Former Scelionidae is
endoparasitoids of insect eggs (mainly Hemiptera, Lepidoptera and Orthoptera in
Iran) as well as spiders. Former Platygastridae is also mainly parasitoids of larvae of
gall midges (Cecidomyiidae) (Triplehorn and Johnson 2005) that are not the subject
of this chapter.
The most important target pests of these egg parasitoids in Iran are true bugs of
cereals and pistachio; serious pests of their host plants. Pistachio is exported to
different Asian and European countries. On the other hand, wheat is a strategic crop
in Iran that constitutes the highest item in the food basket of Iranian people. Selfsufficiency in wheat production is the first priority of Iran’s Ministry of Agriculture,
S. Iranipour (*)
University of Tabriz, Tabriz, Iran
e-mail: shiranipour@tabrizu.ac.ir
© 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_8
293