Abstract

GARCIA-GONZALEZ, Fabián; GONZALEZ-HERNANDEZ, Alejandro; PINTO, Víctor Manuel  and  RAMIREZ-ALARCON, Samuel. Morphometry of Trichogramma Westwood (Hymenoptera: Trichogrammatidae) species from mass rearing centers of Mexico. Acta Zool. Mex [online]. 2009, vol.25, n.2, pp. 409-425. ISSN 0065-1737.

The importance of Trichogramma, as a biological control agent of crop pests, contrasts with the knowledge of his taxonomy in Mexico, due to the lack of studies that show a suitable identity of the species that are mass reared and exist in native form in agricultural areas. The objective of this study was made a morphometric analysis of the Trichogramma species mass rearing in Mexico as a corroborated technique of determination based in morphology. The analysis of variance and mean comparisons by the Duncan's test allowed separate T. pretiosum and T. exiguum from T. fuentesi and T. pintoi based on the longest funicular setae length of male antenna. With the intervoselar process length of male genitalia, it was possible to differentiate T. pretiosum and T. pintoi from T. fuentesi and T. exiguum. In the cluster analysis (hierarchic cluster analysis), the intervoselar process length allowed differentiate the four species referred.

Keywords : Biological control; genitalia; parasitoids; intervoselar process; funicular setae; taxonomy.