Leafminer ßies (Diptera: Agromyzidae) are important agricultural pests worldwide. The objective of our study was to assess the relative importance of agromyzids and their associated parasitoids in Þeld and vegetable crops along the Peruvian coast. In total, nine leafminer ßy species were identiÞed in 27 crops. The most dominant species was Liriomyza huidobrensis (Blanchard) (88.0%). Liriomyza sativae Blanchard was the second most dominant species (8.59%) but mainly found in the most northern part of Peru. On average, a parasitism of 29.5% was registered by 63 parasitoids belonging to the families Eulophidae (41 spp.), Braconidae (11 spp.), Pteromalidae (8 sp.), Fitigidae (1 sp.), and Mymaridae (2 spp.). The endoparasitoids Halticoptera arduine (Walter) (48.2%), Chrysocharis flacilla Walker (19.5%), and C. caribea Boucek (8.0%) as well as the ectoparasitoid Diglyphus websteri (Crawford) (8.7%) were the most abundant parasitoids. H. arduine was not only the most abundant and efÞcient parasitoid but also parasitized all leafminer ßy species in 25 crops. The wide adaptation of the parasitoids H. arduine, C. flacilla, C. caribea, D. websteri, D. begini, and Ganaspidium Weld sp. to different host plants and leafminer ßy species indicates the potential use of those parasitoids for biological control programs. The high diversity of parasitoids supports the assumption that leafminer ßies are of neotropical origin. The heavily pesticide-based pest management practices along the Peruvian coast should take more advantage of the richness of parasitoids by augmenting its efÞcacy through the adoption of integrated pest management.
Liriomyza huidobrensis (Blanchard) is native to South America but has expanded its range and invaded many regions of the world, primarily on flowers and to a lesser extent on horticultural product shipments. As a result of initial invasion into an area, damage caused is usually significant but not necessarily sustained. Currently, it is an economic pest in selected native and invaded regions of the world. Adults cause damage by puncturing abaxial and adaxial leaf surfaces for feeding and egg laying sites. Larvae mine the leaf parenchyma tissues which can lead to leaves drying and wilting. We have recorded 365 host plant species from 49 families and more than 106 parasitoid species. In a subset of the Argentinian data, we found that parasitoid community composition attacking L. huidobrensis differs significantly in cultivated and uncultivated plants. No such effect was found at the world level, probably due to differences in collection methods in the different references. We review the existing knowledge as a means of setting the context for new and unpublished data. The main objective is to provide an update of widely dispersed and until now unpublished data, evaluate dispersion of the leafminer and management strategies in different regions of the world, and highlight the need to consider the possible effects of climate change on further regional invasions or expansions.
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