Abstract:

Myzus persicae is a major pest of peach trees. To elucidate the species diversity of its parasitoids, we collected parasitized aphids from peach orchards in the coastal regions of Jiangsu. The emerged adult parasitoids were identified using a combination of morphological characteristics and DNA barcoding methods. Our survey identified five parasitoid species belonging to two families in this region: Aphelinus abdominalis and Aphelinus maculatus from the family Aphelinidae; and Lipolexis gracilis, Binodoxys communis, and Aphidius gifuensis from the family Braconidae. The COI gene sequences of these five parasitoid species were extracted and analyzed by constructing a phylogenetic tree. The molecular identification results were consistent with the morphological identification results, demonstrating the accuracy and extensive application potential of DNA barcoding technology in identifying small insects such as parasitoids.

Key words: DNA barcoding, parasitoids, COI gene, identification, biological control, Myzus persicae