Establishment of Citrostichus phyllocnistoides Narayanan (Hymenoptera: Eulophidae) as a biological control agent of citrus leafminer Phyllocnistis citrella Stainton (Lepidoptera: Gracillariidae) in citrus orchards in Tunisia
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Ahlem Harbi, Ridha Rahmouni, Khaled Abbes and Brahim Chermiti
Pages: 99-1ß4
Abstract: The citrus leafminer, Phyllocnistis citrella Stainton (Lepidoptera: Gracillariidae), is a citrus pest originating from Southeast Asia which was introduced into Tunisia in October 1994. A few years later, a classical biological control program was developed by importing two larval parasitoids, Ageniaspis citricola Logvinovskaya in 1996 and Semielacher petiolatus Girault in 1997, and recently Citrostichus phyllocnistoides Narayanan in 2010. One year after the first releases of the parasitoid C. phyllocnistoides in the citrus orchards of Cape Bon, it became dominant over the local and introduced parasitoids ensuring a parasitism rate reaching 25% in Nianou, 45.24% in Hammamet and 79.71% in Soliman.