Two species of the genus Elachertus Spinola (Hym.: Eulophidae) new larval ectoparasitoids of Tuta absoluta (Meyreck) (Lep.: Gelechidae)

This is the first report of two ectoparasitoid wasps, Elachertus inunctus (Nees, ۱۸۳۴) in Iran and Elachertus pulcher (Erdös, ۱۹۶۱) (Hym.: Eulophidae) in the world, that parasitize larvae of the tomato leaf miner, Tuta absoluta (Meyrick, ۱۹۱۷) (Lep.: Gelechiidae). The specimens were collected from tomato fields and greenhouses in Ahwaz, Khouzestan province (south west of Iran). Both species are new records for fauna of Iran. The knowledge about these parasitoids is still scanty. The potential of these parasitoids for biological control of T. absoluta in tomato fields and greenhouses should be investigated.

کلیدواژه ها:

tomato leaf miner ، parasitoids ، identification ، Biological control