Scelionidae (Hymenoptera) parasitizing eggs of Bagrada hilaris (Hemiptera, Pentatomidae) in Mexico

Abstract

The painted bug or bagrada bug, Bagrada hilaris (Burmeister) (Hemiptera: Pentatomidae), is a key pest of crops in the family Brassicaceae. In this work, three species of Scelionidae (Hymenoptera) are reported for the first time as parasitoids of painted bug eggs in Mexico, at Saltillo, state of Coahuila: Gryon myrmecophilum (Ashmead), Telenomus podisi Ashmead and Trissolcus basalis (Wollaston). This is also the first report of a species of the widespread genus Telenomus as an egg parasitoid of B. hilaris outside of India. Total percent parasitism, high resolution images, and CO1 sequences are provided for each species. In the future, research in Mexico should be carried out on parasitoid species presented in this work to determine their potential as biological control agents and the feasibility of augmentative, classical or inoculative biocontrol strategies for integrated pest management.