Diversity, rate, and distribution of wheat midge parasitism in the Peace River region of Alberta, Canada

Abstract

Abstract Wheat midge, Sitodiplosis mosellana (Géhin) (Diptera: Cecidomyiidae), is a major pest of wheat (Poaceae) that was first reported in the Peace River region of northwestern Alberta, Canada in 2011. Although parasitism is an important factor of mortality in wheat midge elsewhere, little is known about the prevalence, species, or distribution of wheat midge parasitoids in the Peace River region. To address this knowledge gap, we conducted a survey of wheat midge parasitoids in commercial wheat fields across the region in 2016 and 2017. For a given field, parasitism of wheat midge larvae ranged from 36 to 71%. All but one parasitoid (n = 2167) were identified as Macroglenes penetrans (Kirby) (Hymenoptera: Pteromalidae). The exception was a specimen in the genus Inostemma tentatively identified as I. walkeri Kieffer (Hymenoptera: Platygasteridae). These findings identify parasitism as an important factor that is suppressing populations of wheat midge in the Peace River region, provide the first report of Inostemma walkeri for North America, and provide the first report of this species as a parasitoid of S. mosellana.