On the entomofauna of Mt. Durmitor (Northern Montenegro): Braconid wasps of the subfamily Opiinae (Braconidae, Hymenoptera)

Abstract

Braconids are primary parasites of other insects and their eggs, larvae, and adults, and species have been recently discovered that lay their eggs in plant seeds. Classified into about 25 genera, more than 1,400 species of Opiinae are known at the present time in the world fauna. They have been registered in all zoogeographic regions. The Opiinae are solitary endoparasites of the larvae of cyclorhaphous Diptera, most often those of species belonging to the families Agromyzidae, Tephritidae, Anthomyiidae Ephydridae. In investigations conducted on Mt. Durmitor since 1982, we have up to now established 10 species of braconids of the subfamily Opiinae (Opius peterseni Fi., O. caudatus Wesm., O. parvungula Th., O. levisWesm., O. pallipesWesm., O. quasiquisti Fi., O. exilis Hal., O. filicornis Th., O. lugens Hal., and O. meracus Fi), eight of which are new for the fauna of Serbia and Montenegro.

Keywords

• Hymenoptera
• Braconidae
• Opiinae
• Opius
• distribution
• ecology
• Mt. Durmitor
• Montenegro