First report of Trichogramma danausicida and Trichogramma cacaeciae reared from Thaumatotibia leucotreta eggs in Israel

Abstract

The egg parasitpoids Trichogramma danausicida (Nagaraja) and Trichogramma cacaeciae (Marchal) (Hymenoptera: Trichogrammatidae), are reported for the first time in Israel. Moreover, our discovery of T. danausicida is the first report of this parasitoid species outside of India. The occurrence of those trichogrammatids was first discovered and documented in May 2016 during a survey of egg parasitoids of the False codling moth Thaumatotibia leucotreta (Lepidoptera: Tortricidae). The field survey was conducted on castor bean fruits (Ricinus communis) in the Israeli central coastal plain. The identity of the parasitoids was revealed by means of sequencing a portion of the cytochrome oxidase I gene (COI) of the studied parasitoids.