Diversity of Microgastrinae (Hymenoptera: Braconidae) in apple orchards of southern Quebec, Canada

Abstract This study reports the Microgastrinae (Hymenoptera: Braconidae) species collected from two blocks of apple trees from 1993 to 1994 in southern Quebec, Canada. The habitat management block (HMB) had companion flowering plants within the block, whereas the control had no flowering plants. Thirty-six Microgastrinae species were identified including three new records for Canada: Apanteles tischeriae Viereck, Cotesia crambi Weed, Diolcogaster bakeri Muesebeck. The number of microgastrine varied considerably between the two blocks and years. Species numbers were similar between the two blocks, but the Shannon diversity and Evenness similarity indices indicated that HMB had a more diverse and balanced population of Microgastrinae. Matching our microgastrine identifications with literature records showed that the wasps could potentially parasitize over one-third of the lepidopteran pests of apples and/or other lepidopteran species recorded within this agro-ecosystem. The inclusion of four Asteraceae comp...