Parasitoids of the Sawfly, Arge pullata, in the Shennongjia National Nature Reserve

Larvae of the argid sawfly, Arge pullata (Zaddach) (Hymenoptera: Argidae), feeds on leaves of birch (Betula spp.) in China, Europe, Siberia, and Japan. Parasitoids of A. pullata were studied in Shennongjia National Nature Reserve, Hubei Province, China, in 2009 and 2010. Five parasitoid species were found: Pleolophus suigensis (Uchida), Mastrus nigrus Sheng, Endasys parviventris nipponicus (Uchida) (Hymenoptera: Ichneumonidae), Vibrissina turrita (Meigen) (Diptera: Tachinidae) and Conura xanthostigma (Dalman) (Hymenoptera: Chalcididae). The average parasitism rate of A. pullata by parasitoids was as high as 11.0%. V. turrita was the dominant species, attacking 10.0% of the A. pullata cocoons. The emergence peak of V. turrita was from late May to early June. Three hyperparasitoids of V. turrita emerged from cocoons of A. pullata: Mesochorus ichneutese Uchida (Hymenoptera: Ichneumonidae), Pediobius sp. (Hymenoptera: Eulophidae), and Taeniogonalos maga (Teranishi) (Hymenoptera: Trigonalidae). Hyperparasitism rates were about 1.0% to 3.0%, with an average rate of 1.7%.