Geographical distribution and species composition of parasitoids (Hymenoptera : Chalcidoidea) of Trialeurodes vaporariorum and Bemisia tabaci-complex(Homoptera : Aleyrodidae) in Japan

To determine the geographical distribution and composition of parasitoid sp ecies from Trialeurodes vaporariorum and the Bemisia tabaci-complex (B. tab aci and B. argentifolii), parasitized whiteflies were collected at differen t sites in Japan and parasitoids were reared for adult emergence. Amitus sp ., Encarsia citri, E. formosa, E. japonica, ES; lutea, E. transvena, Encars ia sp., Eretmocerus sp. and Syrphophagus sp. were reared from Trialeurodes vaporariorum sampled at 125 sites from 1977 to 1998. Amitus sp., E. azimi, E. citri, E. formosa, E. japonica, E. lutea, E. transvena and Eretmocerus s p. were reared from a B. tabaci-complex sampled at 36 sites from 1990 to 19 98. The indigenous species E. japonica and E. transvena are widely distribu ted in Japan and are predominant parasitoids of T. vaporariorum and the B. tabaci-complex. The introduced parasitoid E. formosa has recently been foun d at many sites near greenhouses in which it has been used commercially by seasonal inoculative release to control T. vaporariorum and B. argentifolii . This is because some E. formosa leave the greenhouses to parasitize white flies in the field. Single species composition per site was dominant for T. vaporariorum and not numerous for the B. tabaci-complex. At the sites cont aining two or three parasitoid species, E. formosa was attacked frequently by E. japonica and E. transvena which are facultative heteronomous hyperpar asitoids. In addition, male Syrphophagus sp. was also a hyperparasitoid of E. formosa.