SEARCH FOR AND COLLECT EGG PARASITOIDS OF GLASSY-WINGED SHARPSHOOTER IN SOUTHEASTERN USA AND NORTHEASTERN MEXICO

• Author(s): Hoddle, Mark; Cancino, Enrique; Chouljenko, Christopher; Jones, Walker; Morgan, David; Munoz, Daniel; Yanega, Vladimir;
• Abstract: Observations in northeastern Mexico and Texas, USA, during the past three years revealed presence of Homalodisca coagulata (Say) (GWSS) there, but in very low densities (Coronado-Blanco et al. 2000, Triapitsyn and Phillips 2000). Almost all egg masses of GWSS and other related sharpshooters, such as Oncometopia spp., were heavily parasitized. The climate in the central part of Tamaulipas, Mexico, is very similar to the climate in the valleys of southern California. Earlier surveys in Florida and Louisiana revealed several species of GWSS egg parasitoids there; some of those species do not occur in California (Triapitsyn et al. 1998; Triapitsyn in review; Triapitsyn et al. in press) and thus are promising biological control agents. As a result of the collections made in northeastern Mexico during 2000 and 2001, colonies of three species, Gonatocerus ashmeadi Girault, G. morrilli (Howard), and G. triguttatus Girault (Hymenoptera: Mymaridae), were established in UCR quarantine and insectary (Triapitsyn and Hoddle 2001; Triapitsyn et al. 2002) and later propagated and released against GWSS in California by CDFA and USDA researchers.
• Publication Date: Dec 2002
• Journal: 2002 Pierce's Disease Research Symposium