Pediobius thysanopterus

Pediobius thysanopterus Burks

Systematic position: Insecta, Holometabola, Hymenoptera, Apocrita, Chalcidoidea, Eulophidae.

Distribution: Middle East, Egypt and Israel.

Morphology: Adults are 0.7-1.0 mm in length, body shiny black, wings with only a single, anterior vein.

Life history: Pediobius thysanopterus is an Endoparasitoid of Gynaikothrips ficorum. It is most active in autumn, its numbers decreasing in summer. This decrease may be due to predation by Montandoniola moraguesi, which feeds on the parasitized host larvae.

Economic importance: In Israel P. thysanopterus may attack almost 90% of the host’s larvae.

References

Burks, B.D. 1971. A new Pediobius parasitic on thrips (Hymenoptera: Eulophidae). Proceedings of the Entomological Society of Washington 73: 177-180.

El-Hussein, M.M., Marie, S.S.H., Elfandary, O.O. and Mesbah, A.H. 2006. On the biology and incidence of the parasitoid, Pediobius (Pleurotropis) thysanopterus Burks (Hymenoptera: Eulophidae) parasitizing the Cuban laurel thrips, Gynaikothrips ficorum (Marshal) (Thysanoptera: Phlaeothripidae) in Egypt. Egyptian Journal of Biological Pest Control 16: 107-110.

Kuslitzky, W. 2003. New variant: Annotated list of hymenopterous parasitoids of thrips in Israel. Phytoparasitica 31: 310.

Website

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