Parasitoids of Saissetia miranda (Cockerell & Parrott) (Hemiptera: Coccidae) in Fig trees (Ficus carica L.) of Ramos Arizpe, Coahuila, Mexico

Abstract

The fig tree Ficus carica L. has the potential to be commercially exploited in northern Mexico, where its cultivation is expanding due to its ability to adapt to places with low precipitation and high temperatures. Among the pests that affect the fig tree are scales, insects that suck sap, weaken the plant, and due to their biology are difficult to control, causing economic losses. In a commercial fig orchard of the Black Mission variety located in the Municipality of Ramos Arizpe, Coahuila, females of Saissetia miranda (Hemiptera: Coccidae) were detected. The specimens were collected and taken to the laboratory to wait for the emergence of natural enemies. A complex of five species of parasitoids was determined: Scutellista caerulea (Hymenoptera: Pteromalidae), Metaphycus anneckei (Hymenoptera: Encyrtidae), Cheiloneurus sp. (Hymenoptera: Encyrtidae), Baryscapus sp. (Hymenoptera: Eulophidae) and Signiphora bifasciata (Hymenoptera: Signiphoridae); S. caerulea and M. anneckei are reported for the first time in the State of Coahuila. The percentage of parasitism exerted by the complex was 54.9 to 72.9 as maximum and minimum values, with an average of 64.5, indicating high natural control.