Parasitoids and predators of armored scales in some orchards in Serbia

Abstract

Five parasitoid and five predator species were registered on four armored scale species in apple, pear, peach and plum orchards at 16 sites in Serbia. The armored scales found were: Diaspidiotus perniciosus (Comstock), Pseudaulacaspis pentagona (Targioni-Tozzetti), Epidiaspis leperii (Signoret) and Lepidosaphes ulmi (L.). The parasitoid species detected were: Encarsia (=Prospaltella) perniciosi (Tow.), Encarsia (=Prospaltella) berlesei (How.), Aphytis proclia (Wal.), Aphytis mytilaspidis (Le Baron) and Coccobius testaceus (Masi), all of the Aphelinidae family. The most important endoparasitoids were: Encarsia perniciosi on D. perniciosus, Encarsia berlesei on P. pentagona and Coccobius testaceus on L. ulmi. Only one ectoparasitoid species, Aphytis mytilaspidis, was found on E. leperii, while Aphytis proclia was found as an ectoparasitoid on D. perniciosus, P. pentagona and L. ulmi. The predator species detected were: Chilocorus renipustulatus (Scriba), Chilocorus bipustulatus (L.), Cybocephalus fodori Endrody - Younga, Chrysoperla carnea (Stephens) and Deraeocoris ruber (L.). Cybocephalus fodori was for the first time found as a predator on E. leperii in Serbia.