Molecular and morphological identification of hymenoptran parasitoids from the pomegranate aphid, Aphis punicae in Razavi Khorasan province, Iran

Abstract

Parasitoids play the positive role in aphids control management by keeping the population of aphids below the economic threshold. The pomegranate aphid, Aphis punicae is attacked by several parasitoids which mostly belong to Aphidiinae subfamily. The identification of parasitoids and hyperparasitoids is problematic due to their small size and ambiguous morphological characteristics. The analysis of molecular data of DNA sequences has been suggested as a complementary approach to the classical methods to identify biocontrol agents. In the present study, active parasitoids and hyperparasitoids of the pomegranate aphid collected from Razavi Khorasan province were identified using morphological characters and analysis of two gene sequences including COI and 28S. Phylogenetic analysis was performed using Maximum parsimony and Bayesian methods. The identified parasitoids were Binodoxys angelicae, Lysiphlebus fabarum, Ephedrus persicae, and the hyperparasitoids were Syrphophagus aphidivorus, Alloxysta sp. and Pachyneuron sp. We demonstrated that the mitochondrial COI gene was superior for the identification of these insects compared to the nuclear 28S (D2-region) and that it was compatible with morphological studies. This is the first study on molecular identification of the parasitoids and hyperparasitoids on pomegranate aphids in Iran.

Comparison of Molecular and Conventional Methods for Estimating Parasitism Level in the Pomegranate Aphid Aphis punicae (Hemiptera: Aphididae)

“…Although microscopic examination of dissected hosts is helpful in determining parasitoid presence ( Jones et al 2003 ), it involves a tedious process ( Greenstone 2006 ), that may sometimes fail to provide an accurate estimate of the level of parasitism by a given parasitoid. This is because hyperparasitoids are also commonly present in parasitized populations of aphids, including A. punicae ( Farrokhzadeh et al 2014 ), and dissection methods could potentially lead to an overestimation of parasitism level of the pest population, as a result of misidentifications ( Agusti et al 2005 ). In addition, taxonomic keys could lead to misidentifications, due to the small size of the parasitoids, as well as ambiguities in some of the key morphological traits ( Atanassova et al 1998 ).…”

New records of the parasitoids of Drosophila suzukii (Matsumura, 1931) (Diptera: Drosophilidae) in newly invaded areas in Turkey: molecular identification

“…The parasitoids of the order Hymenoptera are generally identified according to their morphological characteristics, which leads to challenges in diagnosis due to their body size and undefined characteristics (Tomanovic et al, 2003). The molecular analysis of DNA sequences is considered as a complementary tool for the morphological identification of insects (Farrokhzadeh et al, 2014). Molecular identification has allowed quick recognition, distinction and identification of diverse species based on the DNA sequencing of single samples.…”