Diversity and Relative Distribution of Parasitic Hymenopteran Wasp Communities in Karbala Province, Iraq

Abstract

A comprehensive field study was conducted for one year from November 2024 to November 2025, to monitor the diversity of parasitic wasps (Order: Hymenoptera) across four key locations in the Holy Governorate of Karbala, Iraq (Al-Hussainiya district, Al-Wand area, Aoun area, and Al-Ibrahimiya area). To ensure thorough coverage of various habitats and flight patterns of these beneficial insects, three integrated collection techniques were employed: Malaise traps, yellow pan traps, and sweeping nets. The results obtained revealed notable diversity within the local parasitic wasp community, with specimens recorded from eight superfamilies. Analysis of relative distribution showed apparent variation in the dominance of different groups across the study areas, indicating the influence of local environmental and host-related factors. In three locations surveyed, the superfamily Ichneumonoidea was distinctly dominant, followed by Chalcidoidea. However, the Aoun area exhibited a different pattern, where Chalcidoidea was dominant at 37.74%, followed by Ichneumonoidea at 23.69%. The other superfamilies Platygastroidea, Cynipoidea, Ceraphronoidea, Diaprioidea, Chrysidoidea, and Evanoidea were present at low proportions across all sites. This study represents the first intensive and systematic survey of this important biological group in Karbala Governorate. The findings confirm the region’s relative richness of parasitic wasp communities, providing a vital primary database. The present work constitutes a fundamental step toward the scientific documentation of these natural enemies, which play a key role in the biological control of insect pests. Moreover, the knowledge generated from this research will support environmentally and economically sound pest management strategies in the region by utilizing locally occurring natural enemies that are naturally present in the local agricultural and ecological system.

Keywords:

Parasitoid wasps; Hymenoptera, biodiversity, Karbala province, Iraq