Report of parasitoid flies, Compsilura concinnata and Peribaea tibialis (Dip.: Tachinidae) on the rice armyworm from Iran

Peribaea tibialis (Robineau-Desvoidy) and Compsilura concinnata (Meigen), which are reported for the first time from Iran, are solitary parasitoids of rice armyworm larvae, Mythimna unipuncta (Haworth), in the rice fields of western Mazandaran. Our studies during 1999-2001 showed that these parasitoids were active on M. unipuncta larvae of different generations, especially 2nd and 3rd generations, and caused 18.7% of larval parasitism

First report of Barichneumon derogator (Hym.: Ichneumonidae: Ichneumoninae) from Iran

We studied the pest and parasitoid fauna of cauliflower fields in southern Tehran in 2011. In the course of our research the Ichneumonid wasp Barichneumon derogator (Wesmael) of the subfamily Ichneumoninae was collected and identified. This parasitoid attacks the larval stages of lepidopteran pests. The species B. derogator is newly recorded from Iran

Fumigant Toxicity and Oviposition Deterrency of the Essential Oil from Cardamom, Elettaria cardamomum, Against Three Stored—product Insects

Use of insecticides can have disruptive effects on the environment. Replacing the chemical compounds in these insecticides with plant materials, however, can be a safe method with low environmental risk. In the current study, chemical composition and insecticidal activities of the essential oil from cardamom, Elettaria cardamomum L. (Maton) (Zingiberales: Zingiberaceae) on the adults of three stored product pests was investigated. Results indicated that essential oil of E. cardamomum toxic to the bruchid beetle, Callosobruchus maculatus Fabricius (Coleoptera: Bruchidae), the red flour beetle, Tribolium castaneum Herbst (Coleoptera: Tenebrionidae), and the flour moth, Ephestia kuehniella Zeller (Lepidoptera: Pyralidae). Adults of E. kuehniella were more sensitive than the Coleoptera. Also, the highest mortality of these insects was seen after 12 hours. Results of the LT50 tests showed that the lethal time of mortality occurred between 10–20 hours in various test concentrations. Essential oil of E. cardamomum had a good efficacy on oviposition deterrence of C. maculatus females, too. The chemical constituents of the essential oils were analyzed by gas chromatography—mass spectrometry. The major constituents of cardamom were identified as 1,8-cineol, α-terpinyl acetate, terpinene and fenchyl alcohol. These results suggest that essential oil of E. cardamomum is a good choice for control of stored product pests

Effect of temperature and photoperiod on reproductive behavior of corn stem borer, Sesamia cretica (Lederer, 1857) (Lep.: Noctuidae)

The corn stem borer, Sesamia cretica Led. (Lep.: Noctuidae),is the most important pest of maize and sugarcane throughout the world including Iran where its egg parasitoid wasp, Telenomus busseolae Gahan (Hym.: Scelionidae) is widely used in biological control programs. Due to the host specificity of the parasitoid wasp, S. cretica serves as the single host for the mass rearing of T. busseolae at the laboratory or insectarium. The present work was intended to find the optimum temperature and photoperiod for the reproductivity of S. cretica at laboratory condition. We evaluated the percentage of fertilized eggs, oviposition rate, peak of egg laying and adult longevity of S. cretica. Thermal treatments and photoperiod treatments included 24, 27 and 30 ºC as well as 24D, 12D: 12L, 8L: 16D (short day period), 16L:8D (long day period) hours respectively. The best temperature for oviposition was calculated between 24 and 27 ºC, but the rate of oviposition was significantly decreased at 30 ºC. Temperature and photoperiod had no effect on the percentage of fertilized eggs and adult longevity. Different photoperiods caused significant effect on the rate of oviposition and the highest oviposition rate occurred in 12L: 12D hours and in 16D:8L hours. The lowest rate of oviposition was observed in 24D period. The highest rate of oviposition occurred on the second day

Report of the parasitoid wasp, Oomyzus sokolowskii (Hym.: Eulophidae), from Iran

One species of Eulophidae, Oomyzus sokolowskii (Kurdjumov), was collected from larvae of the diamondback moth, Plutella xylostella (L.) (Lep.: Plutellidae). This parasitoid is a major gregarious larval-pupal endoparasitoid of P. xylostella that prefers ovipositing into host larvae but depositing its eggs in host prepupae too. This is the first report of the occurrence of this species from Iran

First report of the parasitoid wasp, Diadegma pusio (Hym.: Ichneumonidae), from Iran

This is a report on the occurrence of the hymenoterous parasitoid of the beet moth, Scrobipalpa ocellatella Boyd (Lep.: Gelechiidae), in Iran for the first time. Diadegma pusio (Holmgren) was collected from the larvae of S. ocellatella in the sugar beet fields located in Ray, the southern district of Tehran. This ichneumonid species is belonging to the subfamily Campopleginae and tribe Limneriini

First report of the parasitoid wasps, Microchelonus subcontractus and Bracon intercessor (Hym.: Braconidae), from Iran

This paper reports the occurrence of the hymenoterous parasitoids of the beet moth, Scrobipalpa ocellatella Boyd larvae in Iran for the first time. Two braconid species of Microchelonus subcontractus Abdinbekova and Bracon intercessor Nees were collected from the larvae of S. ocellatella in the sugar beet fields located in Ray, the southern district of Tehran. These parasitoids are belonging to the subfamilies Cheloninae and Braconinae, respectively

Report of the parasitoid wasp, Cotesia plutellae (Hym.: Braconidae), from Iran

This paper reports the occurrence of the hymenoterous parasitoid of the diamondback moth larvae in Iran. One species of Braconidae, Cotesia plutellae (Kurdjumov), was collected from larvae of Plutella xylostella (L.) (Lep.: Plutellidae). This parasitoid, which belongs to the subfamily Microgastrinae, is newly recorded from Iran

Report of the parasitoid wasp, Diadegma anurum (Hym.: Ichneumonidae), from Iran

This paper reports the occurrence of the hymenoterous parasitoid of the diamondback moth larvae in Iran. One species of Ichneumonidae, Diadegma anurum (Thomson), was collected from larvae of Plutella xylostella (L.) (Lep.: Plutellidae). This parasitoid, which belongs to the subfamily Campopleginae and tribe Limneriini, is a new record for Iran

First report of the parasitoid wasp Aneuclis melanaria (Hym.: Ichneumonidae: Tersilochinae) from Iran

In 2013, we launched a project to collect and identify the insects, which were associated with the pistachio gall aphid species Forda hirsuta Mordv. and Slavum mordvilovi Kreutz in Tang-Shekan region of the city of Arsanjan in the province of Fars. We collected the ichneumonid wasp Aneuclis melanaria (Holmgren) of the subfamily Tersilochinae on the aphid populations of S. mordvilovi. This parasitoid wasp is a new record for the fauna of Iran