GEOGRAPHICAL DISTRIBUTION OF APHIDIIDAE [HYMENOPTERA] IMPORTED TO CALIFORNIA FOR BIOLOGICAL-CONTROL OF ACYRTHOSIPHON-KONDOI AND ACYRTHOSIPHON-PISUM [HOM-APHIDIDAE]

A survey for Acyrthosiphon kondoiShinji and its insect enemies was conducted in 1976-1977 in Afghanistan, Belgium, Czechoslovakia, Greece, Iran, Israel and Maroc. The search was concentrated in areas having cultivated species of Medicago. A. kondoi was found only in Afghanistan, and in Iran. It was not found in Medicago-growing areas west from Iran, but it has been reported from India and Japan. Aphidius erviHaliday, Aphidius urticae group, Praon barbatumMackauer and Aphidius smithiSharma & Rao, were reared from A. kondoi constituting new parasite records. New parasite and locality records were also found for A. urticae group, A. smithi and P. barbatum on Acyrthosiphum pisum (Harris). In laboratory trials, all cultures of parasites A. ervi and P. barbatum readily parasitized and reproduced on A. kondoi on Lens esculentaMoench. Cultures of A. urticae group and A. smithi oviposited on, but did not complete development of immatures in, A. kondoi on L. esculenta. Hyperparasites identified as species included Asaphes suspensus (Nees), Asaphes vulgarisWalker, Aphidencyrtus aphidivorus (Mayr), Dendrocerus breadalbimensis (Kieffer), Dendrocerus carpenteri (Curtis), and Pachyneuron aphidis (Bouche). Available data suggest the origin of distribution of A. kondoi may be Central Asia, and that populations of A. ervi may be most suitable for colonization programs against A. kondoi. © 1978 Le François.