First records of the genera Histeromerus Wesmael (Hymenoptera, Braconidae, Histeromerinae) and Ecclitura Kokujev (Hymenoptera, Braconidae, Euphorinae) in Italy

Braconid genera Histeromerus Wesmael, 1838 from subfamily Histeromerinae and Ecclitura Kokujev, 1902 from subfamily Euphorinae are recorded in the fauna of Italy for the first time. The discussions about taxonomic position, morphological characters and composition of these genera as well as the redescriptions of the genus and species of Ecclitura primoris Kokujev are given

FIRST REPORT OF STREBLOCERA MACROSCAPUS (RUTHE) (HYMENOPTERA BRACONIDAE EUPHORINAE) IN ITALY

A female of Streblocera macroscapus (Ruthe) (Hymenoptera Braconidae Euphorinae) was captured on a yellow sticky trap during a monitoring survey aimed at studying insect biodiversity in Viareggio district (Lucca, Italy). This is the first report of this species in Italy. Biological information on S. macroscapus and its particular ecological niche are reviewed, and images of the specimen are presented. The importance of urban gardens and their proximity to the surrounding wild areas is also considered

A review of insect parasitoids associated with Lobesia botrana (Denis & Schiffermüller, 1775) in Italy. 1. Diptera Tachinidae and Hymenoptera Braconidae (Lepidoptera, Tortricidae)

This paper is aimed to summarize the information available on the parasitoid complex of the European Grapevine Moth (EGVM), Lobesia botrana (Denis & Schiffermüller, 1775) (Lepidoptera Tortricidae) in Italy. The list is the result of the consultation of a vast bibliography published in Italy for almost two hundred years, from 1828 to date. This allowed the clarification and correction of misunderstandings and mistakes on the taxonomic position of each species listed. In Italy the complex of parasitoids detected on EGVM includes approximately 90 species belonging to ten families of Hymenoptera (Braconidae, Ichneumonidae, Chalcididae, Eulophidae, Eupelmidae, Eurytomidae, Pteromalidae, Torymidae, Trichogrammatidae, and Bethylidae) and one family of Diptera (Tachinidae). This paper deals with EGVM parasitoids of the families Tachinidae (Diptera) and Braconidae (Hymenoptera). Only two species of Tachinidae are associated to EGVM larvae in Italy, Actia pilipennis (Fallen) and Phytomyptera nigrina (Meigen), whereas the record of Eurysthaea scutellaris (Robineau-Desvoidy) is doubtful. Moreover, 21 species of Braconidae are reported to live on EGVM, but, unfortunately, eight of them were identified only at generic level. Bracon mellitor Say has been incorrectly listed among the parasitoids of L. botrana. Records concerning Ascogaster rufidens Wesmael, Meteorus sp., Microgaster rufipes Nees, and Microplitis tuberculifer (Wesmael) are uncertain. Keyword

hymenoptera parasitoid a suitable biodiversity resource for vineyard environmental discrimination

Vineyards host a high number of insect species and represent suitable environments to investigate the relationships among arthropod community and environmental biodiversity. Hymenoptera Braconidae summarize many of the attributes required to a reliable group of bioindicators. Indeed, they represent a complete assemblage of a family taxon and are quite well known from a taxonomical and faunistic point of view, occupying the top of the ecological (trophic) pyramid and occurring in very diverse habitats. Braconidae subfamilies are often linked to a single host order, so directly expressing in some way, a functional role in the environment. Here we compared the abundance and the community composition of braconid subfamilies in three differently managed vineyards for two years (2012 and 2013). In each vineyard, the community structure resulted quite similar (abundance and composition) during the first part, but significantly diverged in the second part of the research period. Non Metric Dimensional Scale and Permanova Analysis well described the population distribution. The abundance of some subfamilies, consistently with their ecology, resulted significantly related to the habitat variables considered, as showed by the Multiple Regression analysis. The adoption of insecticides seems to not influence negatively braconid populations, probably because the surrounding areas are provided with a rich local vegetation of bushes and trees, where natural enemies can find refuge. The abundance of some subfamilies that adopt an endophagous koinobiont strategy against lepidopteran larvae showed differences statistically significant in the vineyard where the mating disruption technique was adopted, in comparison with their abundance in the other two vineyards

Taxonomic revision of the Campoplex difformis group (Ichneumonidae, Campopleginae), with particular reference to species of economic importance

Despite their importance as potential biological control agents, species of the campoplegine genus Campoplex Gravenhorst, 1829 are hard to identify. Previous works provided short descriptions or poor illustrations of crucial characters, meaning it is often impossible to distinguish closely related species. We provide illustrations to identify species of the Campoplex difformis group and redescriptions of and illustrations for C. difformis (Gmelin, 1790), C. capitator Aubert, 1960, C. dubitator Horstmann, 1985, C. formosanae Horstmann, 2012, and C. unicingulatus (Schmiedeknecht, 1909). In addition, the taxonomic status of C. difformis is clarified; a lectotype is designated for C. capitator in Aubert’s collection in Lausanne and the host record for this species on Ancylis mitterbacheriana (Denis & Schiffermüller, 1775) is queried; Campoplex corsicator Aubert, 1960 stat. nov. is removed from synonymy with Campoplex tibialis (Szépligeti, 1916) and redescribed

ACCIDENTAL INTRODUCTION IN ITALY OF THE PARASITOIDSPATHIUS VULNIFICUSWILKINSON (HYMENOPTERA BRACONIDAE DORYCTINAE)

This paper reports the finding of the Hymenoptera Doryctinae Spathius vulnificusWilkinson for the first time inEurope. This is an idiobiont ectoparasitoid attacking woodborer larvae of some Bostrichidae (Coleoptera) species. Suchexotic parasitoid, mainly spread in the Oriental and southeastern part of the Palaeartic Region, has been intercepted inassociation with the lesser auger beetle Heterobostrychusaequalis (Waterhouse)(Coleoptera, Bostrichidae), importedfrom the Asian Far East in wood packaging material. This report represents an updating on the worldwide distribution ofthe parasitoid

Ground Beetle (Coleoptera: Carabidae) Assemblages and Slug Abundance in Agricultural Fields Under Organic and Low-Input Conventional Management Within a Long-Term Agronomic Trial in Central Italy

Inside a long-term agronomic trial aimed at evaluating the effects of organic and low-input conventional management systems on soil fertility and arable crop production, we selected six fields bordered by hedgerows, three under each management system. Here, we analyzed the carabid assemblages and the slug abundance. Samplings took place in five different periods, across 1 yr of observations. The carabid abundances were similar in organic and conventional fields. The Shannon–Wiener diversity index (H’) showed a higher value in the conventional fields, although in the organic fields, a higher number of species were observed. The multivariate analysis described similar carabid communities, but excluding the period factor, it showed a significant influence of the management system. There was no difference between the captures of traps placed along the hedgerow and in the middle, whereas in the conventional fields, the hedgerow traps captured a higher number of specimens, showing a role of the hedgerow as carabid reservoir. The slugs were present mainly while green manure was grown on the organic fields where also Poecilus cupreus Linné, 1758 (Coleoptera: Carabidae) was captured abundantly

Braconinae parasitoids (Hymenoptera, Braconidae) emerged from larvae of Lobesia botrana (Denis & Schiffermüller) (Lepidoptera, Tortricidae) feeding on Daphne gnidium L.

The Bracon Fabricius, 1804 species, B. admotus Papp, 2000, and three species of the genus Habrobracon Ashmead, 1895, H. concolorans (Marshall, 1900), H. hebetor (Say, 1836) and H. pillerianae Fischer, 1980, were obtained from the larvae of Lobesia botrana (Denis & Schiffermüller, 1775) (Lepidoptera, Tortricidae) living on Daphne gnidium Linnaeus, 1753 (Thymelaeaceae) in the natural reserve of Migliarino-San Rossore- Massaciuccoli (Pisa - Central Italy). Bracon admotus, Habrobracon concolorans and H. pillerianae were found for the first time to be associated with L. botrana, while H. hebetor was reared for the first time from the larvae of Cryptoblabes gnidiella (Milliere, 1867) (Lepidoptera, Pyralidae, Phycitinae). Bracon admotus and H. pillerianae are new fauna to Italy and Western Europe. A key is proposed for the determination of Habrobracon species reared from L. botrana and related Palaearctic species of this genus. Bracon (Habrobracon) lineatellae Fisher, 1968 is considered as a valid species

La biodiversità degli Imenotteri Crisididi dei vigneti del Piemonte meridionale

Un progetto di ricerca del Dipartimento di Scienze Agrarie, Alimentari e Agro-ambientali dell’Università di Pisa è dedicato allo studio della biodiversità delle monoculture ed in particolare dei vigneti delle langhe piemontesi. Nei pressi della città di Alba (CN) sono state messe in funzione nel 2016 quattro trappole di tipo Malaise. Lo studio degli Imenotteri Crisididi catturati ha confermato in due casi la povertà di specie tipica delle monoculture. Le catture delle altre due trappole sono in linea con i risultati ottenuti in altri ambienti italiani e della Toscana in particolare. Le specie maggiormente presenti risultano essere Pseudomalus auratus e Trichrysis cyanea. Elampus albipennis viene segnalato per la prima volta dell’Italia. Degne di nota sono Philoctetes bogdanovii per la sua rarità in Italia e la recentemente descritta Cleptes striatipleuris, la cui distribuzione è ancora da accertare. Di un certo interesse è la maggior presenza di specie di Cleptes nei vigneti piemontesi indagati rispetto a quelli presenti in ambienti simili in Provincia di Pisa

Seasonal occurrence of resident parasitoids associated with Drosophila suzukii in two small fruit production regions of Italy and the USA

For the first time we report the results of a survey to determine the presence, seasonal phenology and biological control status of indigenous parasitoid populations utilizing Drosophila suzukii (Matsumura) and Drosophila melanogaster Meigen (Diptera Drosophilidae) as hosts in Trento Province, Northern Italy, and the Willamette Valley, Oregon, USA. Larval and pupal parasitoids were sampled using sentinel traps baited with larvae of D. suzukii or D. melanogaster, or traps baited with fruit or yeast-based host substrates. Two generalist parasitoids, Pachycrepoideus vindemiae (Rondani) (Hymenoptera Pteromalidae) and Leptopilina heterotoma (Thomson) (Hymenoptera Figitidae) emerged from the sentinel traps in both regions, and a third generalist parasitoid, Trichopria drosophilae Perkins (Hymenoptera Diapriidae), was found in Italy. L. heterotoma was present during the early portion of the season in Italy while P. vindemiae was found throughout the growing season in both production regions. Low numbers of parasitoids relative to initial larval load in baits suggest a limited effect of indigenous parasitoids on D. suzukii in these two important fruit production regions. These findings highlight the need for improved biological control of D. suzukii through introduction or augmentation of specialist parasitoids from the native range of D. suzukii. This report provides baseline data on the current status of biological control of D. suzukii in Italy and Oregon.Keywords: Leptopilina heterotoma, biological control, Trichopria drosophilae, invasive pest, Pachycrepoideus vindemiae, parasitis