A Taxonomic Study of Some Species of Hyperparasitoids Attacking the Primary Parasitoid Microterys nietneri of the Citricola Scale Insect, Coccus pseudomagnoliarum in Syria

Abstract

Saleh, A.T. and A.M. Basheer. 2023. A Taxonomic Study of Some Species of Hyperparasitoids Attacking the Primary Parasitoid Microterys nietneri of the Citricola Scale Insect, Coccus pseudomagnoliarum in Syria. Arab Journal of Plant Protection, 41(3): 292-305. https://doi.org/10.22268/AJPP-41.3.292305 The citricola scale insect, Coccus pseudomagnoliarum, (Kuwana) (Hemiptera: Coccomorpha: Coccidae) is an economically important pest that occurs on citrus trees along the Syrian coast. The samples of host insects and infested plant parts were collected from April to June during 2016 and 2017 from two locations (Al-Sanobar, Dabba) in Lattakia Province and brought to the Biological Control Studies and Research Center (BCSRC), Faculty of Agriculture, Damascus University. Based on the information gathered, Microterys nietneri (Motschulsky) (Hymenoptera: Encyrtidae) may play an important role as a biological control agent of citricola scale insect, but high hyperparasitoids levels reduced M. nietneri efficiency as a citricola scale parasitoid. The objective of this study was to describe and identify naturally occurring hyperparasitoids. The following parasitoids were identified and reported for the first time in Syria: Cheiloneurus claviger (Thomson), Pachyneuron muscarum (Linnaeus), and Marietta leopardine (Motschulsky). Microscopic images were provided to illustrate the morphological and morphometric characteristics of these species. Keywords: Hyperparasitoids, Citricola scale, Microterys, Syria