Identification of Parasitoids and Seasonal Parasitism of t he Agro my zi d Le af mi ne rs Ge n us Liriomyza (D ip. : Ag ro my zi dae ) i n Va ra mi n, I ra n

Abstract

The agromyzid leafminers, Liriomyza sativae Blanchard and L. trifolii (B urgess) (Dip- tera: Agromyzidae) are major pests that attack vegetables in Varamin, Tehran Province. The parasitoids (Hymenoptera: Eulophidae) of these pests were investigated during 2003. The leaf miner inf ested leaves were collected f rom different host plants, in particular cu- cumber ( Cucumis sativus L.,) and preserved under laboratory conditions until the parasi- toids emerged. The vegetable leaf miner were parasitized by an expected range of parasi- toids. The parasitoid species included Ci rr os pi l us vi tt at us Walker, Hemiptarsenus zilahise- bessi Erdös, Closterocerus formosus Westwood, Diglyphus isaea (Walker), Diglyphus crassinervis E r dö s . a n d Pnigalio sp . nr. pectinicornis . The most common species was D. isaea , fo ll o wed by C. formosus and D. crassinervis. Although insecticides were applied con- tinuously f or control of leafminers, the mean seasonal percentage of parasitism was 51.12% . The morphological characteristics of each species are given in brief .