BioControl (2014) 59, 45-54

Rosa Gabarra, Judit Arnó, Lidia Lara, María Jesús Verdú, Antoni Ribes, Francisco Beitia, Alberto Urbaneja, María del Mar Téllez, Oscar Mollá and Jordi Riudavets (2014)
Native parasitoids associated with Tuta absoluta in the tomato production areas of the Spanish Mediterranean Coast
BioControl 59 (1), 45-54
Abstract: The tomato borer Tuta absoluta (Meyrick) (Lepidoptera: Gelechiidae) is an invasive pest that produces significant damage to tomato crops in the Mediterranean area. Although several species of predatory bugs are successfully being used for biological control of the pest, little is known about the parasitoids that are able to exploit T. absoluta as a host. With the aim of better understanding parasitoid species richness of T. absoluta along the Mediterranean Spanish Coast, we conducted an extensive survey to determine distribution, host plants and habitats where parasitoids are present. Our results indicated that egg parasitoids are naturally scarce but that the species richness of larval/pupal parasitoids is high and includes 20 different species. Seven of these had not been previously reported as T. absoluta parasitoids. The most frequent parasitoid species recovered were Necremnus sp. nr. artynes (Walker), Stenomesius cf. japonicus (Ashmead) and Neochrysocharis formosa (Westwood) (Hymenoptera: Eulophidae).
(The abstract is excluded from the Creative Commons licence and has been copied with permission by the publisher.)
Link to article at publishers website
Database assignments for author(s): Judit Arnó, Jordi Riudavets, Alberto Urbaneja, Rosa Gabarra

Research topic(s) for pests/diseases/weeds:
biocontrol - natural enemies
Research topic(s) for beneficials or antagonists:
surveys/distribution/isolation

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Pest and/or beneficial records:

Beneficial	Pest/Disease/Weed	Crop/Product	Country	Quarant.
	Phthorimaea absoluta	Tomato (Solanum lycopersicum)	Spain (continental)
Closterocerus formosus (parasitoid)	Phthorimaea absoluta	Tomato (Solanum lycopersicum)	Spain (continental)