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Trechnites flavipes Mercet (Hymenoptera: Encyrtidae): a parasitoid on Pauropsylla buxtoni comb. nov. (Hemiptera: Psylloidea) on Ficus carica L. (Moraceae)

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Abstract

Pauropsylla buxtoni comb. nov. is a psyllid insect that infests fig trees (Ficus carica L.) in the Palestinian Territories. It sucks the plant sap and induces leaf galls in which it develops. In the present research, we identified an encyrtid parasitoid (Trechnites flavipes Mercet) on the immature stages of P. buxtoni. Morphological redescriptions of female and male adult of T. flavipes together with color illustrations are provided in this research. This is important for recognizable species, which might be used as a biocontrol agent of psyllid pests. Also, the mode of parasitism by this parasitoid is studied where host-parasitoid (P. buxtoni-T. flavipes) relationship is described. We observed that the female of T. flavipes parasitized the fourth or early fifth instars of P. buxtoni immatures with a mean percentage of natural parasitism ranging from 7.8 to 18.3% on the various fig cultivars grown in the Palestinian Territories. Significant differences in the means of percentage of parasitism on five cultivars were obtained. These differences may be related to the differences in susceptibility of these cultivars to P. buxtoni infestation. Also, the characteristics of these cultivars play an important role in this susceptibility. In conclusion, the results of this research may be exploited in the practical management of P. buxtoni on fig trees. The potential of T. flavipes as a biocontrol agent of P. buxtoni should be studied in depth in order to achieve an effective control of this insect pest.

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Acknowledgements

We would like to thank Dr. John Noyes for his confirmation of of Trechnites species as T. flavipes and useful comments given by him. We also thank Naomi Paz from Tel Aviv University for her linguistic editing of this article.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Plant Production & Protection, Faculty of Agriculture & Veterinary Medicine, An-Najah National University, Nablus, West Bank, State of Palestine

    Yacoub Batta

  2. Department of Zoology, The Steinhardt Museum of Natural History, Ramat Aviv, 69978, Tel Aviv, Israel

    Zoya Yefremova

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  1. Yacoub Batta
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  2. Zoya Yefremova
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Correspondence to Yacoub Batta.

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Batta, Y., Yefremova, Z. Trechnites flavipes Mercet (Hymenoptera: Encyrtidae): a parasitoid on Pauropsylla buxtoni comb. nov. (Hemiptera: Psylloidea) on Ficus carica L. (Moraceae). Phytoparasitica 46, 471–480 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12600-018-0677-3

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