Influence of Plants on the Parasitization of the Tarnished Plant Bug by Leiophron pallipe12

Tarnished plant bugs, Lygus lineolaris (Palisot de Beauvois), were collected in the vicinity of Storrs, Conn., and the parasitoids were reared from them. Leiophron pallipes Curtis was the principal hymenopterous parasitoid obtained. A few Euphoriana uniformis Gahan were reared from tarnished plant bugs from a field near East Hartford, Conn., but were not obtained from bugs collected around Storrs. Tarnished plant bug nymphs were collected from plants of several taxa and were dissected to determine parasitization. Nymphs found on Erigeron spp. were much more heavily parasitized than nymphs collected on other plants. The highest parasitization in July occurred on E. strigosus Muhl. and E. annuus (L.), ranging from more than 80 to nearly 60% in different fields during this period. The highest parasitization during August was on E. Canadensis L., where more than 30% of the nymphs were parasitized. The highest parasitization on other plants during July and August was 11% on Verbena spp. Parasitization of nymphs collected on Daucus carota L., Solidago spp., Polygonium pennsylvanicum L., Medicago sativa L., Trifolium pretense L., Chenopodium album L., Oenothera biennis L., and Amaranthus retrofiexus L. was negligible or nonexistent during both months.