Parasitoid complex of citrus leafminer, Phyllocnistis citrellaon lemon in the Central Jordan Valley

From March 1997 to June 1999, samples of lemon leaves infested with citrus leafminer (CLM), Phyllocnistis citrella Stainton (Lepidoptera: Gracillariidae), were collected from the Al-Masalha Citrus Orchard in the Central Jordan Valley in order to rear CLM parasitoids and to study their population trends. Nine species of eulophid parasitoids were reared from CLM larvae; these were Cirrospilus ingenuus Gahan, C. pictus Nees, Pnigalio agraules, Pnigalio sp. B, Pnigalio sp. C, Citrostichus phyllocnistoides Narayanan, Ratzeburgiola incompleata Boucek, Semielacher petiolatus Girault, and Zagrammosoma sp. Cirrospilus ingenuus was the most common parasitoid of CLM from March 1997 to June 1999 and could be a good potential biological control agent after rearing and releasing it in citrus orchards in the Jordan Valley. One hyperparasitoid species was reared from immatures of parasitoids of CLM larvae, and identified as Tyndrichus sp. An increase in the activity of parasitoids was observed in autumn 1999 when the temperature was between 15-20 degreesC and the relative humidity was between 55-65%.