Skip to main content
ARS Home » Northeast Area » Beltsville, Maryland (BARC) » Beltsville Agricultural Research Center » Systematic Entomology Laboratory » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #344405
Research Project: Systematics of Parasitic and Herbivorous Wasps of Agricultural Importance

Location: Systematic Entomology Laboratory

Title: Geographic and Seasonal Variation in Species Diversity and Community Composition of Frugivorous Drosophila (Diptera: Drosophilidae) and their Leptopilina (Hymenoptera: Figitidae) Parasitoids

Author
item LUE, CHIA-HUA - University Of Maryland
item BOROWY, DOROTHY - University Of Maryland
item Buffington, Matthew
item LIEPS, JEFF - University Of Maryland

Submitted to: Environmental Entomology
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 7/1/2018
Publication Date: 8/29/2018
Citation: Lue, C., Borowy, D., Buffington, M.L., Lieps, J. 2018. Geographic and Seasonal Variation in Species Diversity and Community Composition of Frugivorous Drosophila (Diptera: Drosophilidae) and their Leptopilina (Hymenoptera: Figitidae) Parasitoids. Environmental Entomology. 47:1096-1106.

Interpretive Summary: Parasitoid wasps are potent natural enemies of many species of pest insect and are critical elements in biological control research. The distribution and adaptation of parasitoid wasp species is a key to the success of biological control. This paper reviews species belonging to a genus that is a major natural enemy of fruit flies around the world, including the invasive spotted wing Drosophila. Research entomologists, biological control workers, extension agents, and APHIS cooperators worldwide will find this research product essential for their own work.

Technical Abstract: Geographic and temporal variation in the composition of communities should produce variation in species interactions, potentially resulting in diverse patterns of evolution in interacting species across their range. To begin to examine this question, we documented the extent of variation in Drosophila host and their Leptoplina parasitoid communities across a broad geographic range and at different times of year and describe the relationship between host-parasitoid species diversity and community structure.