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The Diversity of Hymenoptera on Pummelo (Citrus maxima (Burm.) Merr.)
Yunnan Institute of Tropical Crops, Jinghong 666100, China
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Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Insects 2026, 17(9), 886; https://doi.org/10.3390/insects17090886
Submission received: 30 July 2026
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Revised: 22 August 2026
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Accepted: 24 August 2026
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Published: 24 August 2026
(This article belongs to the Section Insect Ecology, Diversity and Conservation)
Simple Summary
Wasps and ants help control agricultural pests, while bees pollinate crops. Together, these insects provide essential services that support healthy farming ecosystems. However, little is known about these insects in tropical pummelo orchards in China. This study surveyed these insects in pummelo orchards in Xishuangbanna, Yunnan Province, over one year. A total of 8446 insects were collected, representing 191 morphospecies in 37 families. Most of the species found were tiny parasitic wasps that kill crop pests by laying eggs inside them, making up almost three out of every four species found. Other important groups included hunting wasps that catch pest insects and bees that pollinate flowers. These results show that pummelo orchards support a rich and diverse community of beneficial insects. This knowledge can help farmers adopt practices that protect these helpful insects, such as reducing insecticide use and planting flowers around orchards. The findings also provide a starting point for future research on natural pest control in tropical fruit farming.
Abstract
Hymenoptera play important ecological roles in agroecosystems as parasitoids, predators, and pollinators. This study investigated the species composition and diversity of Hymenoptera in a conventionally managed pummelo (Citrus maxima (Burm.) Merr.) orchard in Xishuangbanna, Yunnan Province, China, from February 2025 to February 2026. A total of 8446 specimens were collected using Malaise traps and sweep netting, belonging to 11 superfamilies, 37 families, and 191 morphospecies. The community was dominated by parasitoids (140 morphospecies, 73.30%), followed by predators (30 morphospecies, 15.71%), pollinators (18 morphospecies, 9.42%), and phytophagous gall-inducers (3 morphospecies, 1.57%). Ichneumonoidea (42 morphospecies, 21.99%), Chalcidoidea (35 morphospecies, 18.32%), Vespoidea (30 morphospecies, 15.71%) and Apoidea (28 morphospecies, 14.66%) were the dominant superfamilies, collectively accounting for 70.68% of all morphospecies. At the family level, Ichneumonidae (25 morphospecies), Braconidae (17 morphospecies), Bethylidae (13 morphospecies), and Pompilidae and Scelionidae (11 morphospecies each) were the most morphospecies-rich families. Shannon–Wiener diversity was higher at the family level (H′ = 2.9340) than at the superfamily level (H′ = 2.0302), indicating greater heterogeneity at a finer taxonomic resolution. These results demonstrate that the surveyed pummelo orchard in Xishuangbanna harbors a species-rich and functionally diverse hymenopteran community with substantial potential for biological pest control and pollination services.
Keywords:
pummelo; Hymenoptera; species diversity; community structure
