Diversity of ichneumonoidea (Hymenoptera) in three types of land use in a multiple production agroecosystem in Xmatkuil, Yucatan, Mexico.

The presence of natural enemies can be influenced by many factors like the type of land use. These organisms are considered of great importance due to the pest control they perform without causing disturbance to the environment. In this study, the structure of the community of the Ichneumonoidea superfamily was analyzed, in three sites of an agroecosystem with different types of land use. Sampling was carried out in the period of July 2004 to June 2005. Twenty-four yellow traps and one Malaise trap were placed per site, in three fixed transects of 35 m in length. Traps remained open for two days per month. A total of 1052 individuals, 37 subfamilies, 107 genera and 306 morphospecies were recorded. For the Braconidae family, 553 individuals belonging to 21 subfamilies, 57 genera and 172 morphospecies were collected. For the Ichneumonidae family, 499 individuals belonging to 16 subfamilies, 50 genera and 134 morphospecies were collected. The family garden site presented a higher diversity for both families. Richness estimators point out that family garden and secondary vegetation presented a higher richness, abundance and diversity of parasitoid species; where the koinobiont habits are frequently present. According to these results, it can be hypothesized that a high diversity of plant species favors beneficial factors for parasitoid survival.