Parasitic wasps as natural enemies of aphid populations in the Mashhad region of Iran: New data from DNA barcodes and SEM

DNA barcoding is a modern method for the identification of different species, including insects. Among animals, the major emphasis of DNA barcoding is on insects. Due to this global trend we addressed this approach for surveying a group of insects. The parasitic wasps (including primary and hyperparasitoids) of pome fruit orchard aphids were collected from Iran-Mashhad during 2009-2010. Preliminary identification of this group was performed by using morphological and morphometric characters and SEM. The COI gene in the specimens was amplified and sequenced. In this survey, Aphidius matricariae, Binodoxys angelicae, Diaeretiella rapae, Ephedrus persicae, Lysiphlebus fabarum and Praon volucre parasitoids and Alloxysta sp., Asaphes suspensus, Dendrocerus carpenteri, Pachyneuron aphidis, Syrphophagus aphidivorus hyperparasitoids were studied. Based on intra-interspecies distances and phylogenetic analysis using NJ, all species possess diagnostic barcode sequences. The results of this study show that the COI sequence could be useful in identification study of this group of insects. Here we have provided the first GenBank data for the COI gene of the above-mentioned hyperparasitoids as well as an initial attempt toward preparing DNA barcodes for Iranian parasitoid and hyperparasitoid aphids.