Spathius agrili is a parasitoid of Agrilus planipennis in China
In China, surveys were conducted in 2003/2004 in Tianjin*, Liaoning, Jilin and Heilongjiang provinces for stressed ash trees (Fraxinus velutina, F. mandchurica) to search for Agrilus planipennis (Coleoptera: Buprestidae - EPPO A1 list) larvae and their associated parasitoids. A new species of Spathius (Hymenoptera: Braconidae) was found parasitizing larvae of A. planipennis. This new species was described and called Spathius agrili. Field observations showed that female S. agrili actively searched ash tree trunks to locate A. planipennis larvae in their galleries by tapping their antennae. When located, the female passed her ovipositor through the bark and oviposited 1 to 35 eggs clustered on the host larva which is then paralyzed. An A. planipennis larva is consumed in 7 to 40 days. S. agrili is the first recorded parasitoid of A. planipennis in China.
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* New detailed record.
Sources
Yang ZQ, Strazanac JS, Marsh PM, van Achterberg C, Choi WY (2005) First recorded parasitoid from China of Agrilus planipennis: a new species of Spathius (Hymenoptera: Braconidae: Doryctinae). Annals of the Entomological Society of America 98(5), 636-642.