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ARS Home » Northeast Area » Beltsville, Maryland (BARC) » Beltsville Agricultural Research Center » Systematic Entomology Laboratory » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #332761
Research Project: Systematics of Parasitic and Herbivorous Wasps of Agricultural Importance

Location: Systematic Entomology Laboratory

Title: The Gall Associates of Asphondylia poss. swaedicola Kieffer & Jörgensen (Diptera: Cecidomyiidae) on Suaeda divaricata Moq. (Amaranthaceae) in Semiarid Argentina and Summary of Parasitic Hymenoptera Associated with Suaeda

Author
item Gates, Michael
item Kula, Robert
item Buffington, Matthew
item JAVIER, TORRENS - Non ARS Employee
item PATRICIO, FIDALGO - Non ARS Employee

Submitted to: Neotropical Entomology
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 8/21/2017
Publication Date: 10/2/2017
Citation: Gates, M.W., Kula, R.R., Buffington, M.L., Javier, T., Patricio, F. 2017. The Gall Associates of Asphondylia poss. swaedicola Kieffer & Jörgensen (Diptera: Cecidomyiidae) on Suaeda divaricata Moq. (Amaranthaceae) in Semiarid Argentina and Summary of Parasitic Hymenoptera Associated with Suaeda. Neotropical Entomology. 2:1-12.

Interpretive Summary: Insects that induce deformities called galls on plants can have serious implications on growth and visual appeal. Additionally, gall inducers may be globally invasive with numerous instances where their impacts caused millions of dollars in damage to commercially/environmentally valuable plants. This work focuses on a gall system in Argentina and the parasitic wasps associated with it as well as a summary of all wasp associations for that plant genus globally. This work will be used by ecologists, biocontrol workers, and entomologists.

Technical Abstract: We report on the Asphondylia poss. swaedicola inducing apical stem galls on Suaeda divaricate Moq. in the Monte region of Argentina. The inquiline gelechiid Gnorimoschema sp. is confirmed as an associate of A. swaedicola galls. The following hymenopteran parasitoids are associated with this system: Torymus nr swaedicola (Kieffer & Jörgensen), Aprostocetus sp., Horismenus sp., Bracon (Bracon) sp., Chelonus (Microchelonus) sp., Apanteles sp., Zaeucoila robusta, Goniozus nigrifemur. The 20 genera and 23 species of parasitoid previously known to be associated with Suaeda spp. worldwide and their biologies are discussed.