The rubber tree lace bug, Leptopharsa heveae Drake & Poor (Hemiptera: Tingidae), is one of the main rubber tree crop pests in Brazil. It can cause loss of up to 30% in latex yield. The control is performed mainly with pesticides and one of the alternatives to their use is the utilization of natural enemies. The parasitoid Erythmelus tingitiphagus (Soares) (Hymenoptera: Mymaridae) has been shown to be an important natural enemy of L. heveae, parasitizing eggs of this pest in natural conditions. The aim of this study was to verify the occurrence and the parasitism of E. tingitiphagus on L. heveae eggs in commercial stands of five rubber tree clones which are regularly treated with pesticide, in the municipality of Itiquira, Mato Grosso State, Brazil. Weekly, between August 2006 and January 2007, four mature leaves were randomly sampled in five trees of the clones RRIM 600, PR 255, GT 1, PB 235 and PB 217. Parasitoids were found in all studied clones with populations peaking in October. The parasitism rate ranged from 13.8% in PB 235 to 30.8% in RRIM 600, with average of 24.2%. The application of pesticides in the stands had no negative effect onon parasitism of E. tingitiphagus.
Chalcidoidea; biological control; rubber tree crop; egg parasitoid
