The first record of the parasitism of Pyemotes sp. (Acari: Pyemotidae) on Eurytoma schreineri Schreiner, 1908 (Hymenoptera: Eurytomidae) inside plum seeds

Specimens of the plum seed wasp, Eurytoma schreineri Schreiner, 1908 (Hymenoptera: Eurytomidae), collected in the Czech Republic were found to be parasitized by an unidentified species of Pyemotes Amerling, 1861 (Acari: Pyemotidae) very close to or identical to P. herfsi. Out of 526 collected wasps, 24.14% were parasitized, primarily as larvae (21.48%). Infected larvae and pupae of the plum seed wasp were covered by spherical, physogastric females of the genus Pyemotes. Genus identification was based on sequence similarity analysis of the nuclear 18S rDNA region, amplified from DNA isolated from the mites. This is the first record of pyemotid mite parasitisim on the plum seed wasp, E. schreineri, and the first report of natural infection of an insect by these mites in the Czech Republic.