| First record of Nikanoria mongolica Zerova, 1971 (Hymenoptera: Eurytomidae) in Iran |
| Paper ID : 1109-3IICE (R1) |
| Authors: |
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Gholamreza Tavakkoli-Korghond *1, Hossin Lotfalizadeh2 1South Khorasan Agricultural Research and Education Center, Iran, Birjand 2Department of Plant Protection, East -Azarbaijan Agricultural and Natural Resources Research & Education Center, AREEO, Tabriz, Iran |
| Abstract: |
| White saxaul, Haloxylon persicum, grows naturally in South Khorasan province, Mud region (32°11'N & 59°53'E), in the east of Iran. It is infested by a gall making dipteran. To study the pest natural enemies, leaves of the white saxaul, containing simple galls were collected and transferred to the laboratory and placed in rearing cages in May 2017. Emerged adult wasps were kept in vials containing 75% ethanol for future studies. The specimens were identified as Nikanoria mongolica Zerova (Hymenoptera: Eurytomidae), by the second author of the present research. This species has been reported from Mongolia, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan as parasitoid of Stefaniola (Diptera: Cecidomyiidae). Therefore, this is the first record of N. mongolica from Iran. This species includes two subspecies mongolica and punctulata, which were collected during our study. Some common characteristics of the species are the absence of yellow spots on the pronotum but presence of an outlined median furrow on the propodeum. In addition, these specimens are also distinguished by a rather short epipygium which is 1.3 times as long as gastral tergite VI of the female. The specimens demonstrating such characters are attributed to the nominotypical subspecies Nikanoria mongolica mongolica. In contrast those having yellow spots on the pronotum and without a median furrow on the propodeum, with epipygium, which is nearly twice as long as gastral tergite VI of the female have been distinguished as the subspecies N. mongolica punctulata. The specimens deposited in the insect collection of the Department of Plant Protection, East-Azarbaijan Research & Education Center for Agriculture and Natural Resources, Tabriz, Iran. |
| Keywords: |
| Gall, Haloxylon, Iran, New record, Nikanoria mongolica |
| Status : Paper Accepted (Poster Presentation) |
