Biology and host relations of Diplazontinae (Hym., Ichneumonidae), parasiting aphidophagous Syrphidae (Diptera), in several Mediterranean crops

Abstract

For two years we have sampled syrphid larvae from the aphid colonies of the most important fruit trees and orchard crops of the south-eastern Spain. In the present contribution we undertake the following items: the relative abundance of each parasitoid in each crop, the relationship syrphid-aphid-diplazontine, the phenology in relation with the presence of the syrphid larvae in the crop, and different aspects related with the life cycle of hoverflies larvae (length of preimaginal stages, percentage of parasitism etc...).