|
Abstract
|
The tomato leafminer Tuta absoluta (Meyrick) is one of the most devastating pests of greenhouse and outdoor tomato crops. Since it is a new pest introduced in Iran, there is an important need to search for its natural enemies. In the course of a survey on the natural enemies of this pest, samplings were carried out in tomato greenhouses heavily infested with the tomato leafminer in Borazjan region, Bushehr province during 2012-2013. Leafminer-infested plant material were transferred to the laboratory and kept in a glass cage until the parasitoids emergence. One parasitoid species of the family Eulophidae was reared and identified as Neochrysocharis formosus (Westwood 1833) by the second author. Also, one species of Bracon (Habrobracon) sp. from the family Braconidae was reared that additional investigation is under way to identify the exact species. These species are reported for the first time on T. absoluta in Iran. Such information may help in developing biological control programs to control this serious pest.
|