Aphid parasitoids taxonomy and new resources for biological control

Abstract: Many species of aphid parasitoids (Hymenoptera, Braconidae, Aphidiinae) are
important biological agents and economically important natural enemies of aphids in various
agroecosystems. Aphid parasitoids are a common model for studying changes in biodiversity
and the effects of biological control in crop-dominated landscapes in Europe, including the
Mediterranean region. Several species of aphid parasitoids are commercially produced and
available on the market. Modern production technologies allow low costs for mass production, but we need a wider variety of products. Due to frequent cases of cryptic speciation and lack of taxonomic expertise, our knowledge of many economically important species of aphid parasitoids and even of commercially produced species is not satisfactory. However, an integrative approach combining morphological traits, host range patterns and molecular markers is leading to an expansion of our basic taxonomic knowledge, which should result in more commercially available aphid parasitoid species on the market and more diverse products for biological control in general and in the Mediterranean region.
Among the most important are the species of the Aphidius colemani group, which are
widely used as biological control agents in greenhouses and have been commercially produced in Europe since 1992. The species group Aphidius eadyi is used worldwide to control Acyrthosiphon pisum Harris and A. kondoi Shinji in the field. Our research confirmed the existing cryptic species within these species complexes. We also discussed and discovered new aphid parasitoid species from different crops (soybean, wheat, fruit and vegetable crops). Successful biological control requires the use of different parasitoid biological agents to cover a broad spectrum of aphid pests under variable (micro)climatic conditions.