New report of two parasitoid species of Eurytoma amygdali (Hym.: Eurytomidae) from Iran

Document Type : Research Paper

Authors

1 Agricultural and Natural Resources Research Center of East Azarbaijan, Tabriz, Iran

2 Insect Taxonomy Research Department, Iranian Research Institute of Plant Protection (IRIPP), AREEO, Tehran, Iran

10.22124/iprj.2026.32873.1675

Abstract

The almond seed wasp, Eurytoma amygdali Enderlein, is one of the most important pests of almond trees in Iran. This pest damages the crop by feeding on the kernels and causing premature fruit drop. Chemical control of this pest is difficult and costly due to the presence of larvae inside the hard shell of the fruit for most of the year and the gradual exit of adult insects, so other control methods are necessary. In this study, to identify parasitoids associated with the almond seed wasp and determine their relative abundance, fallen fruits from cultivated and wild almond trees, infested fruits during the growing season, and infested fruits remaining on trees at the end of the season were collected from various orchards in East Azerbaijan Province during 2022-2024. In the laboratory, infested almond fruits were placed in cylindrical plastic containers covered with fine mesh and kept under observation until parasitoid emergence.  In this study four parasitoid species associated with the almond seed wasp were collected and identified including Gugolzia bademia Doğanlar (Pteromalidae), Aprostocetus bucculentus (Kostjukov) (Eulophidae), Eurytoma paramygdali Zerova & Fursov (Eurytomidae) and Exeristes roborator (Fabricius) (Ichneumonidae). Among them, E. paramygdali is reported here for the first time from Iran. E. roborator, previously recorded from Turkey as a parasitoid of the almond seed wasp, was reared for the first time from this host in Iran. A. bucculentus, with a relative abundance of 44.4%, was the dominant parasitoid species in the samplings, indicating its high potential for the biological control of almond seed wasp

Keywords


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