IDENTIFICATION OF PARASITOIDS OF DIPTEROUS LEAFMINERS PRESENT IN SPONTANEOUS VEGETATION IN AN ORGANIC CITRUS ORCHARD IN MONTENEGRO, RS, BRAZIL

ABSTRACT

The present study was aimed to survey and identify the parasitoids associated to dipterous leafminers occurring on spontaneous growing plants in an organic citrus orchard and to verify if these parasitoid species are the same ones reported for the citrus leafminer (Phyllocnistis citrella).The work was carried out in Montenegro, state of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil, in a Murcott orchard. Fortnightly samplings, from May/2003 to May/2004, were carried out. On each occasion, 60 sampling units were collected. Each sampling unit consisted of all leaves with mines contained in an area delimited by a 0.28 m² frame, thrown in and between lines aside each one of 30 randomly selected trees. In the laboratory, the leaves were kept individually in Petri dishes until the emergence of parasitoids or flies. Fifteen species of hymenopterous were registered encompassing: Eulophidae (Closterocerus coffeellae Ihering, Closterocerus sp., Chrysocharis sp. 1, Chrysocharis sp. 2, Chrysocharis tristis Hansson, Chrysocharis vonones Walker and Neochrysocharis sp.); Braconidae (Opius sp. 1, Opius sp. 2, Opius sp. 3, Opius sp. 4, Opius sp. 5, Centistidea sp. 1 and Centistidea sp. 2) and Figitidae (Agrostocynips clavatus, Díaz). According to the results, some species registered in the study, of the genera Closterocerus, Chrysocharis and Neochrysocharis, are reported parasitizing P. citrella.

KEY WORDS
Natural enemies; Diptera; organic production; Agromyzidae