Trichogramma Westwood, 1833 (Hymenoptera, Trichogrammatidae) collected in orchards in Rio Grande do Sul State, Brazil

Abstract

The collection and identification of the egg parasitoid Trichogramma Westwood, 1833 (Hymenoptera: Trichogrammatidae) is the first step towards a successful application in the field. This is because, in a biological control program, it is necessary to select the parasitoid species most adapted to the cultivation and climatic conditions of the region where they will be used. Therefore, the objective of this work was to collect Trichogramma in orchards in the State of Rio Grande do Sul, aiming to identify it at the species level by the morphological method and to characterize it by the molecular method of the ITS2 region (internal transcribed space) of rDNA (Ribosomal Deoxyribonucleic Acid). The collection was carried out with traps made with micro-tuller fabric, randomly distributed in orchards. The capture occurred at all collection points. The identification resulted in Trichogramma pretiosum Riley, 1879 (Hymenoptera: Trichogrammatidae) for all collections. The DNA fragments present in the agarose gel were around 500 bp.