DIVERSITY OF TEPHRITIDAE AND HYMENOPTEROUS PARASITOIDS IN TWO DIFFERENT ENVIRONMENTS IN “LAS YUNGAS” FOREST OF THE NORTHWESTERN ARGENTINEAN PROVINCE OF SALTA

OROÑO, LUIS EDUARDO; ALBORNOZ MEDINA, PATRICIA; VAN NIEUWENHOVE, GUIDO A.; BEZDJIAN, LAURA P.; NUÑEZ CAMPERO, SEGUNDO R.; OVRUSKI, SERGIO MARCELO

Salvador, Bahia, Brasil

Simposio; 7º International Symposium on fruit flies of economic importance & 6º meeting of the working group of the western hemisphere; 2006

In Argentina, the mountain rain forest known as “LasYungas” is extended througout northwestern region, from north section of Catamarca province to the northwest of Salta province, on the limit with Bolivia. A high diversity of plants and animals characterized this subtropical forest. In the locality of Orán (Salta province), fruit crops are one of the major agricultural activities. Fruit species like oranges, grapefruit, tangerines and peaches go forward through the forest. A comparative study of Tephritidae fauna was made from October 2001 to April 2002 in two different areas (El Oculto and El Celibar), 40Km far from each other. El “Oculto” is a place with no more than four little corn agriculturist and some exotic fruit trees surrounded by primary and second forest with native fruit trees. El “Cebilar” is near to the Aguas Blanca city, in the frontier of Argentina with Bolivia. The study was done in a peach, grapefruit and orange fruit crop with a border of secondary forest. In each places fruit flies were collected using plastic MacPhail traps baited with hydrolyzed protein and set in fruit trees canopies. In “El Oculto” three genera of Tephritidae were founded: Anastrepha (25.69%), Ceratitis (74.02%), Toxotrypana (0.13%). Into the genera Anastrepha 185 specimens were traped: A. fraterculus (93.5%), A. alveatoides (3.78%), A. elegans (1.08%), A. grandis (1.08%), and A. schultzi (0.54%). In total 329 Anastrapha were recovered in “ El Cebilar”: A. fraterculus (98.7%), A. daciformis (0.60%), A. alveatoides (0.30%), and A. elegans (0.30%). Another genera of Tephritidae also founded were: Ceratitis (53.51%), Tomoplagia (2.12%), Blefaroneura (026%), and Hexachaeta (0.26%). Attacked fruit were collected and placed individually in plastic containers with vermiculite in the bottom as a pupation medium for tephritid larvae. In “ El Oculto”six species of parasitoids were recovered: Doryctobracon brasiliensis, Doryctobracon areolatus, Diachasmimorpha longicaudata ( this specie is reported for the first time), Aganaspis pellerenoi, Utetes anastrephae and Dicerataspis sp.. Only two species of parasitoids were founded in “El Cebilar”: Dicerataspis sp. and Doryctobracon brasiliensis. Differences in fruit flies fauna diversity among the sites were tested using diversity indexes (Shannon:1.598 in “El Oculto” and 1.224 in “El Cebilar”. Simpson: 0.394 in “El Oculto”and 0.528 in “El Cebilar”), and similarity indexes (Jaccard and Morisita-Horn). This is a preliminary study of a more intensive an ambitious work. We believe in the high potential who offers “Las Yungas” on the understanding the fruit fly ecology, diversity such as its parasitoids.