Two torymid species (Hymenoptera: Chalcidoidea, Torymidae) developing on Artemisia gall midges (Diptera: Cecidomyiidae)

Abstract

Two parasitoid wasps, Torymus artemisiae Mayr and Torymoides violaceus (Nikol’skaya), were reared on Artemisia herba-alba (Asteraceae) galles, in central Iran. Torymus artemisiae and T. violaceus were developed from the gall midges: Rhopalomyia navasi Tavares and R. hispanica Tavares, respectively. The occurrence of these two parasitic wasps in Iran, and their associations with R. navasi and R. hispanica, are new. Data on the wasps’ biological associations and geographical distribution are provided. The parasitoid compositions of the genus Rhopalomyia (Diptera: Cecidomyiidae) were also discussed.

Keywords

• distribution
• new records
• parasitoids
• Torymoides
• Torymus