I. Project title Importation of parasitoids of Homalodisca and other Proconiini genera from northwestern Mexico for biological control of glassy-winged sharpshooter II. Principal investigators and cooperators Julio Bernal (PI), Department of Entomology, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX Serguei Triapitsyn (Co-PI), Department of Entomology, University of California Riverside, Riverside, CA Edgardo Cortez Mondaca, Campo Agrícola Experimental Valle del Fuerte, Juan Jose Rios, Sinaloa, Mexico Agustín Fú Castillo, Campo Agrícola Experimental Costa de Hermosillo, Hermosillo, Sonora, Mexico Gustavo Moya Raygoza, Departamento de Botánica y Zoología, Universidad de Guadalajara, Zapopan, Jalisco Roman Rakitov, Illinois Natural History Survey, Champaign, IL III. List of objectives and description of activities conducted to accomplish each objective Objective 1-Import to California via UC Riverside quarantine parasitoids of Homalodisca spp. and other Proconiini from the Mexican states of Jalisco, Nayarit, Sinaloa, and Sonora. Objective 2-Systematically document the parasitoid fauna associated with Homalodisca spp. and other Proconiini genera in the Mexican states of Jalisco, Nayarit, Sinaloa, and Sonora. This project ends in December 2008. Activities between October and November 2008 included parasitoid colony maintenance at University of California, Riverside, and presentation of findings at a Mexican scientific meeting (supported in part by this project’s funds). The slide-presentation delivered at this meeting is attached. The project’s main finding is that the northwestern region of Mexico that was considered in the field work (Sonora and Sinaloa) is particularly promising for future, directed searches for parasitoids because nine species of Mymaridae and Trichogrammatidae parasitic on Proconiini, were collected. Detailed information, including description of a new species of Mymaridae and collection sites, hosts, and host plants, was published by Triapitsyn & Bernal (2009) (attached). IV. Summary of major research accomplishments and results for each objective Nine species of Mymaridae and Trichogrammatidae were collected in northwestern Mexico. These included a new species of Gonatocerus reared from Homalodisca liturata eggs, and G. atriclavus, G. morrilli, and G. novifasciatus, Burksiella sp(p)., Paracentrobia sp., Pseudoligosita sp., Ufens ceratus, and U. principalis. Colonies of G. atriclavus, G. novifasciatus and Pseudoligosita sp. were successfully initiated at UCR on eggs of glassywinged sharpshooter. In addition, seven species of Proconiini have been collected: Cyrtodisca major, Homalodisca insolita, H. liturata, Oncometopia sp. cf. clarior, O. sp. cf. trilobata Melichar, O. (Similitopia) sp., Phera centrolineata. Oncometopia sp. cf. clarior, O. sp. cf. trilobata, and O. (Similitopia) sp. appear to be undescribed species. V. Publications or reports resulting from the project Triapitsyn, S. V., Bernal, J. S. 2009. Egg parasitoids of Proconiini (Hemiptera: Cicadellidae) in northwestern Mexico, with description of a new species of Gonatocerus (Hymenoptera: Mymaridae). Journal of Insect Science 2009. 9:5 (on-line) Bernal, J. S., Triapitsyn, S. V., Fu Castillo, A.,, Rakitov, R., Moya Raygoza, G., Cortez Mondaca, E. 2007. Importation of parasitoids of Homalodisca and other Proconiini genera from northwester Mexico for biological control of the glassy-winged sharpshooter. In: T. Esser (chief ed.), Proceedings, 2007 Pierce’s Disease Research Symposium, California Department of Food and Agriculture, Sacramento, CA, pp. 67-69. Fu-Castillo, A., Moya-Raygoza, G., Cortez-Mondaca, E., Rakitov, R., Triapitsyn, S., Bernal, J. 2008. Parasitoides de huevos de Proconiini (Cicadellidae: Cicadellinae) en el noroeste de México. Memorias del XXXI Congreso Nacional de Control Biológico, Zacatecas, México (in press). VI. Presentations on research Bernal, J. S., Triapitsyn, S. V., Fu Castillo, A., Moya Raygoza, G., Cortez Mondaca, E. 2007. Importation of parasitoids of Homalodisca and other Proconiini genera from northwester Mexico for biological control of the glassy-winged sharpshooter. Poster presented at 2007 Pierce’s Disease Research Symposium, San Diego, Dec. 12-14. Fu-Castillo, A., Moya-Raygoza, G., Cortez-Mondaca, E., Rakitov, R., Triapitsyn, S., Bernal, J. 2008. Parasitoides de huevos de Proconiini (Cicadellidae: Cicadellinae) en el noroeste de México. Congreso Nacional de Control Biológico, Zacatecas, México (November 19-21, 2008). VII. Research relevance statement This project specifically addresses NAS-NRC research recommendation 3.12, “Support for classical biological control (inoculative releases) is preferred over augmentation if inoculative releases result in self-sustaining populations and can be shown to be less costly than augmentation.” The project and its objectives will contribute especially to solving the GWSS-Xylella problem in California by extending into thus far unexplored areas the search for classical biological control agents for release against GWSS. VIII. Lay summary of results Numerous expeditions were made over the course of two years, summer 2006-summer 2008, to collect parasitoids of Proconnini in Mexico. These expeditions were to an area that had so far not been explored for parasitoids of GWSS: central- and north-western Mexico, along the Pacific coast. Nine parasitoid species were collected, which included several undescribed (new) species, one of which was described by the Co-PDs. In addition, seven species of Proconiini were collected, including several (apparently) new species. Altogether, the results of this project show that north-western Mexico is a promising area for further exploration for GWSS parasitoids because of the occurrence there of (i) several novel species of parasitoids of Proconiini, and (ii) species of Proconiini that likely host parasitoids capable of parasitizing GWSS. IX. Status of funds No uncommitted funds were available as of December 2008. X. Summary and status of intellectual property produced during this research project None produced. Journal of Insect Science: Vol. 9 | Article 5 Triapitsyn & Bernal Egg parasitoids of Proconiini (Hemiptera: Cicadellidae) in northwestern Mexico, with description of a new species of Gonatocerus (Hymenoptera: Mymaridae) Serguei V. Triapitsyn1,a and Julio S. Bernal2,b 1 Entomology Research Museum, Department of Entomology, University of California, Riverside, California, 92521, USA 2 Biological Control Laboratory, Department of Entomology, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas, 77843-2475, USA Abstract Nine species of Mymaridae and Trichogrammatidae parasitic on eggs of Proconiini sharpshooters (Cicadellidae: Cicadellinae) were collected in northwestern Mexico in relation to neoclassical biological control efforts against glassy- winged sharpshooter, Homalodisca vitripennis (Germar), in California. Gonatocerus chula Triapitsyn and Bernal sp. n., which belongs to the ater species group of Gonatocerus Nees (Mymaridae), is described. Specimens of G. chula sp. n. were reared from eggs of the smoke-tree sharpshooter, Homalodisca liturata Ball, on jojoba [Simmondsia chinensis (Link) C. K. Schneider] leaves collected in central Sonora state, Mexico. Also given are new data on other egg parasitoids of Homalodisca spp. and Oncometopia spp. in Sinaloa and Sonora states, Mexico, including Gonatocerus atriclavus Girault, G. morrilli (Howard), and G. novifasciatus Girault, and the Trichogrammatidae Burksiella sp(p)., Ittys sp., Pseudoligosita sp., Ufens ceratus Owen, and U. principalis Owen. For the first time, a species of Ittys is recorded from eggs of Proconiini, and U. principalis from Mexico. Colonies of G. atriclavus, G. novifasciatus and Pseudoligosita sp. were successfully established in a quarantine laboratory at University of California, Riverside, on eggs of the glassy-winged sharpshooter. These three parasitoid species had never been reared under laboratory conditions. In addition, seven species of Proconiini were collected in central and northwestern Mexico: Cyrtodisca major (Signoret), Homalodisca insolita (Walker), H. liturata Ball, Oncometopia sp. cf. clarior (Walker), O. sp. cf. trilobata Melichar, O. (Similitopia) sp., and Phera centrolineata (Signoret). Oncometopia sp. cf. clarior, O. sp. cf. trilobata, and O. (Similitopia) sp. appeared to be undescribed species. Keywords: Biological control, Trichogrammatidae, Homalodisca vitripennis, Burksiella, Ittys, Pseudoligosita, Oncometopia Abbreviations: UCR: University of California, Riverside, S&R: Shipping and Receiving (number), UCRC: Entomology Research Museum, University of California, Riverside, F: antennal funicular segment (of females) or antennal flagellar segment (of males) Correspondence: [email protected], [email protected] Gene Hall served as editor of this paper. Received: 8 November 2007 | Accepted: 19 December 2007 | Published: 17 March 2009 Copyright: This is an open access paper. We use the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 license that permits unrestricted use, provided that the paper is properly attributed. ISSN: 1536-2442 | Volume 9, Number 5 Cite this paper as: Triapitsyn SV, Bernal JS. 2009. Egg parasitoids of Proconiini (Hemiptera: Cicadellidae) in northwestern Mexico, with description of a new species of Gonatocerus (Hymenoptera: Mymaridae). Journal of Insect Science 9:05, available online: insectscience.org/9.05 Journal of Insect Science | www.insectscience.org 1 Journal of Insect Science: Vol. 9 | Article 5 Triapitsyn & Bernal Introduction