Skip to main content
ARS Home » Northeast Area » Beltsville, Maryland (BARC) » Beltsville Agricultural Research Center » Systematic Entomology Laboratory » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #384645
Research Project: Systematics of Beetles, Flies, Moths and Wasps with an Emphasis on Agricultural Pests, Invasive Species, Biological Control Agents, and Food Security

Location: Systematic Entomology Laboratory

Title: First record and distribution of Ganaspis brasiliensis (Hymenoptera: Figitidae: Eucoilinae), a parasitoid of Drosophila suzukii (Diptera: Drosophilidae) in Argentina

Author
item GALLARDO, FABIANA - National University Of La Plata And Museum
item FUNES, C - Instituto Nacional De Tecnologia Agropecuaria
item RECHE, V - National University Of La Plata And Museum
item KIRSCHBAUM, D - National University Of Tucuman
item OVRUSKI, SERGIO - National University Of Tucuman
item Buffington, Matthew

Submitted to: Neotropical Entomology
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 10/15/2022
Publication Date: 11/2/2021
Citation: Gallardo, F., Funes, C.F., Reche, V.A., Kirschbaum, D.S., Ovruski, S., Buffington, M.L. 2021. First record and distribution of Ganaspis brasiliensis (Hymenoptera: Figitidae: Eucoilinae), a parasitoid of Drosophila suzukii (Diptera: Drosophilidae) in Argentina. Neotropical Entomology. 51:164-169. https://doi.org/10.1007/s13744-021-00912-z.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s13744-021-00912-z

Interpretive Summary: The spotted wing Drosophila is a major pest of soft fruits worldwide, destroying millions of dollars worth of produce annually. This study reports the first record of a natural enemy of this pest fly in Argentina. This is critical to US agriculture as a great deal of fruit and vegetables are traded between these countries, and pest insects are of a common concern. This paper will be of critical interest to quarantine officers, biological control workers, and taxonomists of wasps in South America.

Technical Abstract: The eucoiline species Ganaspis brasiliensis (von Ihering) (Hymenoptera: Figitidae) is recorded for the first time in Argentina, with confirmation of parasitism of Drosophila suzukii (Matsumura) infesting healthy raspberry fruit (Rubus idaeus L. cv. “Heritage”) still on the plant. Drosophila suzukii puparia were recovered from fruit collected in an organic farm in Tafí del Valle, Tucumán, Argentina. One G. brasiliensis specimen was obtained from an isolated D. suzukii puparium. An additional 83 specimens, deposited in the entomological collection of the Museo de la Plata, Argentina, were also identified as G. brasiliensis. This parasitoid species is distributed in four biogeographical provinces of Argentina. The specimens of G. brasiliensis collected in Argentina is assumed to belong to a world-wide distributed and generalist lineage, parasitizing several Drosophila species. A taxonomic key of known Ganaspis species from Argentina is provided.