Hymenopteran Parasitoids of Anastrepha Fruit Flies (Diptera: Tephritidae) Reared from Different Hosts in Yucatan, Mexico

Abstract

In order to carry on the detection and species inventory of hymenopteran parasitoids associated with fruit flies, we examined various tropical fruits growing at the Southern region of Yucatan. During a yearly cycle (Jun 2000 to Jun 2001), 9 host fruit species (including some varieties) were collected by 2 different methods. The first method involved weekly collection of ripened fruits that were transported to the laboratory (“Fruit-Lab”); and the second method was collection of fruits placed on the ground below the tree canopy (“Fruit-Beds”), and which remained in the field for two weeks, after which they were transported to the laboratory. Fruits obtained were counted and weighed, and the recovered pupae were quantified for each sample. As a whole, we sampled 4,470 fruits (850.8 Kg) from the 9 host plant species and varieties, which were infested by 5 fruit fly species: Anastrepha ludens (Loew), A. obliqua (Macquart), A. serpentina (Wiedemann), A. striata Schiner, and A. fraterculus (Wiedemann). The average parasitism in all samples was 3.69% represented by 11 hymenopteran species as follows: Braconidae, Doryctobracon areolatus (Szépligeti), and Opius bellus (Gahan); Figitidae, Aganaspis pelleranoi (Brethes), Aganaspis sp., Odontosema anastrephae Borgmeier and Odontosema sp.; Diapriidae, Coptera haywardi (Oglobin); Chalcididae, Dirhinus sp.; Pteromalidae, Spalangia endius Walker; Eurytomidae, Sycophila sp.; and Perilampidae, Euperilampus sp. On the basis of results in differences among samples for parasitism rates, fruit fly parasitoid, and fruit fly host plant, parasitoid assemblages are analyzed and discussed.

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