Morphological and Molecular Methods in Identification of Aphidius transcaspicus Telenga (Hym: Braconidae: Aphidiinae) Parasitoid of Hyalopterus spp. (Hom: Aphididae) with Additional Data on Aphidiinae Phylogeny

Abstract

During 2009-2010, aphid parasitoid wasps (Hymenoptera: Braconidae: Aphidiinae) on stone fruit trees were investigated in Khorasan Razavi province, North East of Iran. In this survey, eight species from six genera, were reared from 26 associations (Aphid-host plant-parasitoid) in different localities in Khorasan Razavi province. Aphidius transcaspicus (62%) was the most abundant species of aphid parasitoids, in strict association with Hyalopterus spp. ITS2 rDNA sequence analyses confirmed classical studies. In phylogenetic analyses, our specimen, A. transcaspicus Mashhad1, made a single clade with other populations of this species. A. transcaspicus showed a good control potential on Hyalopterus pruni Geoffroy (Hom: Aphididae) on plum and apricot. So it can be used as a biocontrol agent against the mealy plum aphid in Khorasan Razavi geographical climates.