Two reared species of the genus Aprostocetus (Hymenoptera: Eulophidae), parasitic on gall forming psylloid Pauropsylla ficicola Kieffer infesting Ficus auriculata Lour. in Uttarakhand, India

Abstract

This study was mainly conducted to assess the diversity of Eulophids and their host-parasite relationships. Two species of Genus Aprostocetus Westwood (Hymenoptera: Eulophidae: Tetrastichinae) have been discovered from Shitlakhet, Almora, India. Many species of the subgenus Aprostocetus are primary parasitoids of hosts in plant galls produced by various gall forming insects. Both the reported tetrastichine wasps were parasitizing to a gall forming psylloid, Pauropsylla ficicola Kieffer causing leaf galls on Ficus auriculata Lour. P. ficicola Kieffer is a very serious pest of this economically important tree. During the taxonomic investigation authors came across with two species of the Genus Aprostocetus emerged from the leaf galls in which one species is identified and redescribed as Aprostocetus ficicolae Singh and other one is described as A. Shitlakhetensis sp. nov. Which is new to Biological Science. This new species was distinguished from other allied species of the Genus Aprostocetus by various morphological characters. For the healthy production of fruits and leaves of Ficus auriculata, these two species of parasitic wasps could be used to manage the infestation caused by this pest.