Bull 261 M.S. Abdul-Rassoul Bull. Iraq nat. Hist. Mus. (2017) 14 (3): 261-265 FIRST RECORD OF APOLEPTOMASTIX BICOLORICORNIS (GIRAULT, 1915) (HYMENOPTERA, ENCYRTIDAE), AS PARASITOID OF THE RICE MEALYBUG, BREVENNIA REHI (LINDINGER, 1943) (HEMIPTERA, PSEUDOCOCCIDAE) IN IRAQ M. S. Abdul-Rassoul Iraq Natural History Research Center and Museum, University of Baghdad, Baghdad, Iraq E-mail: msabr_1942@yahoo.com Received Date: 03.May. 2017 Accepted Date: 22.May.2017 ABSTRACT Here we report for the first time the presence of Apoleptomastix bicoloricornis (Girault, 1915) (Hymenoptera, Encyrtidae), as parasitoid of the rice mealybug, Brevennia rehi (Lindinger, 1943) (Hemiptera, Psedococcidae) in Iraq. Brief notes are provided in distinguishing the parasitoid from other closely allied species. Keywords: Apoleptomastix, Brevennia, Echinochloa, Encyrtidae, Iraq. INTRODUCTION The rice mealybug, Brevennia rehi (Lindinger, 1943) (Hemiptera, Pseudococcidae), is a widely distributed insect throughout rice growing areas. It has a huge host range, particularly in the family Poaceae and occurs in all of the zoogeographic regions of the world (Ben-Dove et al., 2015). It was first reported in Iraq by Bodenheimer (1943) under Rhizoecus cynodontis Bodenheimer (1943) on Cynodon dactylon (L.) Pers. (Poaceae) at Basra province south of Iraq. Beside its distribution, recently it was collected from Baghdad at Al-Khadraa district where it is common on Echinochloa colona (L.) Nink (Poaceae) plant that used to grow in a residential garden. Echinochloa colona, which is a weed, grows widely in Iraq in moist places, lawns, gardens, vegetable patches, irrigated fields and along irrigation ditches (Hassawy et al., 1968). In this work, we report the first record of Apoleptomastix bicoloricornis parasitizing Brevennia rehi on Echinochloa colona in Baghdad, Iraq. MATERIALS AND METHODS The mealybug host was identified as Brevennia rehi (Lindinger, 1943) using the taxonomic key by Williams and Granara de Willink (1992). In this study, specimens of encyrtid parasitoids were reared from the rice mealybug feeding on twigs of Echinochloa colona. A total of parasitoid adults 49 female sand 36 males were emerged on September 2002. It was identified as Apoleptomastix bicoloricornis (Girault, 1915) (Hymenoptera, Encyrtidae) based on the taxonomic characters of the adult female giving by Noyes and Hayat (1994). DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.26842/binhm.7.2017.14.3.0261 262 First record of Apoleptomastix bicoloricornis The plates were taken with a Samsung galaxy S4, GT-19500 and used binocular dissecting microscope (MB. MARIOBROMA.SRL, Roma) to magnify the morphological features. Mounted specimens are deposited in the collection of Iraq Natural History Museum. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION Reviewing the literature revealed that Apoleptomastix bicoloricornis was originally described in Australia by Girault (1915) under the name Leptomastix bicoloricornis and synonymized by Kerrich (1982) as Apoleptomastix bicoloricornis. This species is an endoparasitoid of mealybugs, widely distributed in the Afrotropical, Australian and Oriental regions where it is common on Coccidohystrix insolita (Green, 1908) (Shamim and Shafee, 1984); Brevennia rehi (Noyes and Hayat, 1994); Heterococcus nigeriensis Williams, 1961 (Noyes, 2017). More recently, it was reported from Tajikistan, Egypt and Saudi Arabia (Hayat et al., 2014). The following are the diagnostic characters of the parasitoid Apoleptomastix.bicoloricornis: Female (Pl.1): Length 1.70-2.10 mm. Body completely dark brown or black; thorax with scutellum, tegulae and mesopleuron completely black or dark brown. flagellum with dark and pale segments; scape cylindrical, with a pattern of dark brown and whitish markings; Pedicle shorter than first funicular segment , at least about four times as long as broad; funicle six- segmented; club three –segmented; all funicular segments longer than wide. Forewings uniformly hyaline or lightly infuscate, without distinct darker areas basally; marginal vein longer than wide; linea clava not reaching half way across wing, broadly closed posteriorly. Legs with at least hind femora dark brown. Gaster mostly dark brown; ovipositor sheath short or hidden. Male (Pl.2): Length 1.00-1.20 mm; Generally Similar to female except antenna clothed with setae. AKNOWLEDGMENT I would like to thank my colleague Prof. Dr. Razzaq Shalan Augul of Iraq Natural History Research Center and Museum for photographing of these specimens. Plate (1): Apoleptomastix bicoloricornis Female https://war.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Williams_(awtor) 263 M.S. Abdul-Rassoul Plate (2): Apoleptomastix bicoloricornis Male LITERATURE CITED Ben-Dov, Y., Miller, D. R. and Gibson, A. P. 2015. ScaleNet. ( Available at:. http://www.sel.barc.usda.gov/scalenet/scalenet.htm/ .Accessed July 2015). Bodenheimer, F. S. 1943. A first survey of the Coccoidae of Iraq. Directorate General of Agriculture. Baghdad, Bulletin, No. (28): 33 pp. Girault, A.A. 1915. Australian Hymenoptera Chalcidoidea-VII. The family Encyrtidae with descriptions of new genera and species. Memoirs of the Queenland Museum, 4: 152. Hassawy, G.S., Tammimi, S.A. and Al-Izzi, H. 1968. Weeds in Iraq. Ministry of Agriculture Botany Division. Technical bulletin, No. 167: 256pp. Hayat, M., Ahmad, Z. and Khan, F. R. 2014. Encyrtidae (Hymenoptera: Chalcidoidea) from the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Zootaxa, 3793 (1): 001- 059. Kerrich, G.J. 1982. Further systematic studies on Tetracnemine Encyrtidae (Hym., Chalcidoidea) including a revision of the genus Apoanagyrus Compere. Journal of Natural History, 16: 399-430. Noyes, J. S. 2017. Universal Chalcidoidea Database. World Wide Web electronic publication. Available at: http://www.nhm.ac.uk/chalcidoids. (Accessed 6 May 2017). Noyes, J. S. and Hayat, M. 1994. Oriental Mealybug Parasitoids of the Anagyrini (Hymenoptera: Encyrtidae). CAB International, Wallingford. Oxon. Viii+554p. 264 First record of Apoleptomastix bicoloricornis Shamim, S. M. and Shafee, S. A. 1984. Four new species of Encyrtidae (Hymenoptera) from Bihar, India. Indian Journal of Systematic Entomology, 1: 23-28. Williams, D.J. and Granara de Willink, M.C. 1992. Mealybugs of Central and South America. CAB International, London, England. 635 pp. 265 M.S. Abdul-Rassoul Bull. Iraq nat. Hist. Mus. (2017) 14 (3): 261-265 Apoleptomastix bicoloricornis (Girault, 1915) تسجيل جديد رتبة غشائية االجنحةمن للطفيلي (Hymenoptera, Encyrtidae) في العراق محمد صالح عبد الرسول جامعة بغداد ، بغداد، العراق ،مركز بحوث ومتحف التاريخ الطبيعى 3.5.01033: تأريخ القبول 3.5.0102: تأريخ االستالم الخالصة ,Apoleptomastix bicoloricornis (Giraultالطفيلىالزنبور تم تسجيل تواجد 1915) (Hymenoptera, Encyrtidae) على البق للمرة االولى في العراق متطفلا ,Brevennia rehi (Lindinger, 1943) (Hemiptera الدقيقى للرز، Pseudococcidae) ،مع ذكر ملحظات موجزة لتمييز هذا النوع عن في محافظة بغداد .االنواع القريبة له فى نفس الجنس