First record of Closteroceruschamaeleon, parasitoid of the Eucalyptus Gall Wasp Ophelimusmaskelli (Hymenoptera, Chalcidoidea, Eulophidae), in the New World

Roger A Burks; Jason L Mottern; Nicole G Pownall; Rebeccah Waterworth; Timothy D Paine

doi:10.3897/zookeys.504.9728

First record of Closteroceruschamaeleon, parasitoid of the Eucalyptus Gall Wasp Ophelimusmaskelli (Hymenoptera, Chalcidoidea, Eulophidae), in the New World

Zookeys. 2015 May 19:(504):149-52. doi: 10.3897/zookeys.504.9728. eCollection 2015.

Authors

Roger A Burks¹, Jason L Mottern¹, Nicole G Pownall¹, Rebeccah Waterworth¹, Timothy D Paine¹

Affiliation

¹ Entomology Department, University of California, Riverside, Riverside, CA, USA 92521.

Abstract

The uniparental parasitoid Closteroceruschamaeleon (Girault) is discovered to be fortuitously present on a population of the invasive Eucalyptus Gall Wasp Ophelimusmaskelli (Ashmead) in Riverside, California. This is the first report from the New World of Closteroceruschamaeleon, which has proven to be a highly effective natural enemy of Ophelimusmaskelli in the Mediterranean Basin. The taxonomy and identification of Closteroceruschamaeleon is discussed.

Keywords: Natural enemy; biological control; exotic pest.