Leafminer Fly (Diptera: Agromyzidae) Occurrence, Distribution, and Parasitoid Associations in Field and Vegetable Crops Along the Peruvian Coast

Abstract

Leafminer flies (Diptera: Agromyzidae) are important agricultural pests worldwide. The objective of our study was to assess the relative importance of agromyzids and their associated parasitoids in field and vegetable crops along the Peruvian coast. In total, nine leafminer fly species were identified in 27 crops. The most dominant species was Liriomyza huidobrensis (Blanchard) (88.0%). Liriomyza sativae Blanchard was the second most dominant species (8.59%) but mainly found in the most northern part of Peru. On average, a parasitism of 29.5% was registered by 63 parasitoids belonging to the families Eulophidae (41 spp.), Braconidae (11 spp.), Pteromalidae (8 sp.), Fitigidae (1 sp.), and Mymaridae (2 spp.). The endoparasitoids Halticoptera arduine (Walter) (48.2%), Chrysocharis flacilla Walker (19.5%), and C. caribea Boucek (8.0%) as well as the ectoparasitoid Diglyphus websteri (Crawford) (8.7%) were the most abundant parasitoids. H. arduine was not only the most abundant and efficient parasitoid but also parasitized all leafminer fly species in 25 crops. The wide adaptation of the parasitoids H. arduine, C. flacilla, C. caribea, D. websteri, D. begini, and Ganaspidium Weld sp. to different host plants and leafminer fly species indicates the potential use of those parasitoids for biological control programs. The high diversity of parasitoids supports the assumption that leafminer flies are of neotropical origin. The heavily pesticide-based pest management practices along the Peruvian coast should take more advantage of the richness of parasitoids by augmenting its efficacy through the adoption of integrated pest management.