The species of Chalcidoidea (Hymenoptera) introduced to North America for biological control of the cabbage seedpod weevil, and the first recovery ofStenomalina gracilis(Chalcidoidea: Pteromalidae)

Abstract

AbstractThe species of Pteromalidae (Chalcidoidea) introduced to British Columbia, Canada, from Europe in 1949 asTrichomalus fasciatus(Thomson, 1878),Xenocrepis puraMayr, 1904, andHabrocytussp. for classical biological control ofCeutorhynchus obstrictus(Marsham, 1802) (Coleoptera: Curculionidae) are shown to be misidentifications ofTrichomalus perfectus(Walker, 1835),Mesopolobus morys(Walker, 1848), andStenomalina gracilis(Walker, 1834), respectively. Species reared subsequently from seedpods ofBrassicaspp. (Brassicaceae) in British Columbia and reported in the literature under the first three names are shown to be misidentifications of, respectively,Trichomalus lucidus(Walker, 1835),Mesopolobus moryoidesGibson, 2005, and one or both ofPteromalus puparum(L., 1758) andT. lucidus. There is no evidence that eitherT. perfectusorM. morysestablished in North America, butS. gracilisis newly recorded from southern British Columbia based on specimens reared from Brassicaceae seedpods in 2004 and 2005.