Diversity and interactions of the parasitoids (Hymenoptera: Chalcidoidea) of soft scales from Serbia

This research aimed to study the diversity of soft scale parasitoids and examine their potential in the biological control of harmful Coccidae on cultivated and ornamental plants. Forty species of parasitoid wasps from four families (Hymenoptera: Chalcidoidea) were reared and determined from 16 species of soft scales (Hemiptera: Coccidae). A total of 6,249 individuals of parasitoid wasps were collected from 35 localities in Serbia from 2014 to 2017. The most numerous genera are Metaphycus with 10, Coccophagus with 7, and Blastothrix with five reared species. The most abundant species is C. lycimnia, reared from second-instar larvae of all 16 species of scale insects and from females of 11 soft scale species, with a total of 1,053 individuals. Of the 40 identified species, 15 are new to the fauna of Serbia: Coccophagus piceae, Coccophagus proximus, Coccophagus silvestrii, Encarsia gigas (Aphelinidae), Adelencyrtus intersectus, Anagyrus schoenherri, Blastothrix brittanica, Blastothrix erythrostetha, Blastothrix hedqvisti, Encyrtus infidus, Metaphycus hageni, Metaphycus stanleyi, Metaphycus unicolor, Microterys hortulanus (Encyrtidae) and Eunotus obscurus (Pteromalidae). Ninety-nine (99) hymenopteran/coccoid associations were identified in this study, of which 16 associations are new.