Uninvited pests of an unwelcomed tree: a survey on alien chalcidoid wasps (Hymenoptera: Chalcidoidea) associated with Eucalyptus trees in Cyprus

Abstract

A five-month survey on Eucalyptus spp., one of the most commonly planted trees in Cyprus, was undertaken in Limassol and Akrotiri in urban, rural and protected habitats. Two alien gall-inducing Eucalyptus wasps: Leptocybe invasa Fisher and La Salle, 2004 and Ophelimus maskelli (Ashmead, 1900) (Hymenoptera: Eulophidae) were recorded for the first time from Cyprus. In addition, three new alien parasitoids: Stethynium ophelimi (Huber, 2006) (Hymenoptera: Mymaridae), Closterocerus chamaeleon (Girault, 1922) (Hymenoptera: Eulophidae) and Megastigmus lawsoni Doğanlar and Hassan, 2010 (Hymenoptera: Megastigmidae), were reared from O. maskelli and L. invasa galls. The distribution, introduction and management actions for Eucalyptus spp. and their alien Chalcidoidea associates are discussed.