Parasitoid flies of the sunn pest, Eurygaster integriceps and their parasitism in cereal fields of Alshtar area of Lorestan province

One of the most important pests in the Alshtar region is the sunn pest, Eurygaster integriceps Puton (Hemipterta: Scutelleridae). This pest infests a large part of the wheat fields each year, and more specifically its damage during the years when the drought occurs. The population of the sunn pest, like other insects, is affected by biotic factors or natural enemies, including predators, parasitoids, and pathogens. In this research, adult parasitic flies of the nymph and adult stages of E. integriceps in wheat fields of Alshtar region were collected and identified. In total, three species of parasitoid flies of the family Tachinidae and subfamily Phasiinae were identified including Elomya lateralis (Meigen, 1824), Phasia subcoleopterata (Linné, 1767) and Eliozeta helluo (Fabricius, 1805). The results of parasitism in adult stage of the sunn pest by parasitoid flies showed adult flies were emerged from their hosts from the first decade of May to the second decade of June. So that the highest rate of percentage of parasitism in both years (2015-17) was observed in the second and third decades of May. In these dates, the population of E. helluo species was higher than the other two species. The total parasitism by these tree species was estimated to be about 60%. Due to the fact that a wide range of cultivated lands of this region is dedicated to wheat cultivation, the results can be considered as a small step in the management of the sunn pest.