An account of the Chalcidoidea (Hymenoptera) parasitising leaf-mining insects of deciduous trees in Britain

Abstract

Data on the distribution and frequency of hymenopterous parasites of leaf-mining insects on deciduous trees show that Chalcidoidea of the family Eulophidae are the chief component of the parasite faunas. The regular parasite complement of a leaf-mining species is in the order of 10 to 20 species of parasitic Hymenoptera. Many of these are polyphagous, but in almost all instances a preference for a particular type of host is evident. The parasite faunas of tree leaf-mining Lepidoptera, Coleoptera and Hymenoptera are shown to be qualitatively similar, but those of Diptera are rather different. The parasite faunas of tree leaf-miners are different also from those of leaf gall-forming insects on trees and, to a lesser degree, from those of leaf-miners on herbaceous plants. The parasite fauna associated with a tree genus is quantitatively and qualitatively characteristic and, in general, it most resembles that found on allied tree genera. Congeneric leaf miners attacking the same tree species are attacked by very similar parasite faunas, although mine situation and season of development may exert some influence. These latter factors are considered especially in relation to leaf-miners of the genus Phyllonorycter for which most data are available.