The possibility of storing natural enemies at low temperatures is important for the mass production of biological control agents. We evaluated the effect of different periods of cold storage on immature mortality, mummy body mass, lifespan, reproduction and flight capacity of the parasitoid Praon volucre (Haliday). One-day-old mummies of the aphid Macrosiphum euphorbiae (Thomas) containing pre-pupae of P. volucre were stored in a climatic chamber at 5°C and 70 ± 10% RH in the dark for different periods of time (5, 10, 15 and 20 days). The control consisted of mummies kept at 22 ± 1°C, 70 ± 10% RH and a 12 h photophase. Percentage adult emergence, mummy body mass, flight capacity and number of eggs in the ovarioles of P. volucre females decreased with increase in the period of storage, while the longevity of females was only slightly affected. Fat content of mummies, percentage of parasitized aphids and survival of progeny to emergence decreased with increase in the period of storage. Storage of P. volucre pre-pupae for up to 5 days at 5°C did not affect any of the above mentioned parameters. The fact that P. volucre pre-pupae can be stored for 5 days without loss of quality and for 10 days with only a slight loss facilitates the planning of mass production and shipment., Juracy Caldeira Lins, Jr. ... [et al.]., and Obsahuje seznam literatury
The suitability of Liriomyza sativae Blanchard, L. trifolii (Burgess) and L. bryoniae (Kaltenbach) as hosts of the solitary larval-pupal parasitoid Dacnusa sibirica Telenga was studied. This parasitoid is used as a biological control agent against L. trifolii and L. bryoniae. The parasitoid laid eggs in L. sativae, but no adult parasitoids emerged from the puparia. In contrast, D. sibirica adults emerged from the puparia of L. trifolii and L. bryoniae, and there was no significant difference in emergence rate, female developmental time, or sex ratio when parasitizing these two host species. The parasitoid adults that emerged from the L. bryoniae puparia were significantly larger than those from L. trifolii puparia. In conclusion, D. sibirica, a useful biological control agent of L. trifolii and L. bryoniae, cannot control L. sativae.
Diachasmimorpha longicaudata (Hymenoptera: Braconidae) is a parasitoid wasp widely used in the biological control of fruit flies. In this paper, we present a detailed analysis of the karyotype of this species based on the results of classical and molecular cytogenetic techniques. The cytogenetic analysis confirmed the male and female chromosome numbers previously reported (n = 20, 2n = 40). The entire short arm of most chromosomes is made up of a large constitutive heterochromatic segment. The high heterochromatin content differentiates D. longicaudata from other braconid species. Fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) using autologous 18S rDNA probes revealed six clusters of rDNA, i.e. six nucleolar organizer regions (NORs), in the heterochromatic short arms of different chromosomes in the haploid male karyotype. This number is exceptionally high for Hymenoptera, which usually have two NORs in the diploid complement. It is noteworthy that these rDNA-FISH experiments represent the first use of this technique on a braconid species using autologous probes. Since Ag-NOR-bands were coincident with C-positive bands on metaphase chromosomes, it was not possible to identify active nucleoli. The physical characteristics of the D. longicaudata karyotype, especially the content and distribution of heterochromatin and the number and location of rDNA clusters, contribute to a better understanding of the structure and organization of braconid chromosomes and provide a basis for genomic and evolutionary studies., Leonela Carabajal Paladino ... [et al.]., and Obsahuje seznam literatury
The imagines, cast skin of the final larval instar, and venom apparatus of Chorebus pseudoasphodeli sp. n., an endoparasitoid of Phytomyza chaerophylli Kaltenbach, 1856 on Daucus carota L., and Chorebus pseudoasramenes sp. n., an endoparasitoid of Cerodontha phragmitophila Hering, 1935 on Arundo donax L., two new species of Dacnusini from Spain, are described, illustrated, and compared with those of allied species. The immature larvae, mature larva, and pupa of C. pseudoasphodeli sp. n. are also described, illustrated, and compared. Morphological structures of phylogenetic value are discussed, and keys for the discrimination of the imagines are provided.
The parasitoid wasp Dinocampus coccinellae has been reported to parasitise adult, pupal and larval coccinellids. Field samples of larvae and pupae of Coccinella septempunctata, collected over 13 years in Britain, have failed to reveal any infected pre-imaginal individuals. The parasitisation rates of D. coccinellae into pre-imaginal and adult C. septempunctata were assessed in both choice and no-choice tests. Observations and test results revealed that British D. coccinellae have a strong preference to oviposit in adult coccinellids rather than larvae or pupae. This preference decreases as wasps age if denied oviposition opportunities.
Dinocampus coccinellae is a parasitoid wasp usually parasitizing ladybird beetles of the tribe Coccinellini. A field survey conducted between March and November 2016 revealed three hosts of this parasitoid in the Srinagar district of the Indian state of Jammu and Kashmir: two members of the Coccinellini (Oenopia conglobata and Coccinella undecimpunctata) and one of the Chilocorini (Priscibrumus uropygialis). Proportion of the latter (atypical) host that were parasitized was 0.09 and intermediate between that recorded for C. undecimpunctata (0.06) and O. conglobata (0.14). A series of laboratory experiments revealed that while a member of Coccinellini (O. conglobata) was more often attacked by D. coccinellae than a member of Chilocorini (P. uropygialis), the proportions of each species from which parasitoids emerged did not differ significantly. There were no significant differences between D. coccinellae females bred from O. conglobata and P. uropygialis, with respect to selection of the two host species and their suitability for the development of the parasitoid. However, members of the Chilocorini other than P. uropygialis (Chilocorus infernalis and Simmondsius pakistanensis) were rarely attacked by D. coccinellae and parasitoid larvae did not emerge from any of those attacked. The results of our experiments indicate that in Kashmir Himalayas D. coccinellae is adapted to parasitize hosts belonging to both Coccinellini and Chilocorini., Amir Maqbool, Imtiaz Ahmed, Piotr Kiełtyk, Piotr Ceryngier., and Obsahuje bibliografii
Eleven species of parasitoids were found to attack 7 species of wheat aphids in Iran. The Simpson's Index of diversity (D) used to compare the aphidiine diversity in various cereal crop systems in geographically different regions of Iran ranged from 0.197 to 0.488, depending on locality. There were significant differences among species diversities at different altitudes. The central highlands (1000-1500 meters above mean sea level) were the areas with the most diverse aphid parasitoid complex, differing significantly from that at lower and higher altitudes. We found that altitude explained about 10% of the cereal aphid parasitoid distribution pattern in Iran. Species of the genus Aphidius Nees were the most abundant and widely distributed. These were Aphidius rhopalosiphi De Stefani, Aphidius uzbekistanicus Luzhetski, Aphidius colemani Viereck and Aphidius matricariae Haliday. A. uzbekistanicus, Ephedrus plagiator (Nees) and Ephedrus persicae Froggat were encountered mainly on the plains at lower altitudes. Diuraphis noxia (Kurdjumov) was mainly recorded at higher altitudes in Iran along with its dominant parasitoid species, Diaeretiella rapae (MIntosh). The fact that Iran is close to the presumed area of D. noxia origin (Central Asian submountains) could be very important in further biological control efforts against this pest aphid. According to our results, Aphidius ervi Haliday is a very rare parasitoid of cereal aphids in Iran, which contrast with its high abundance in Europe and North America.
Body size is a main fitness component of insect parasitoids. We assessed the potential influence of maternal size of the parasitoid wasp Aphidius colemani Viereck (Hymenoptera: Braconidae: Aphidiinae) on its ability to parasitize the different instars of Aphis gossypii Glover (Hemiptera: Aphididae) on eggplant and cucumber. In the experiments "small" vs "large" parasitoid females were used. Females oviposited in all instars but more of the smaller hosts were parasitized. Host selection was affected by female size and the larger hosts were more frequently mummified by the large than the small females. Thus, parasitoid female size influenced host selection. This could affect the potential of the parasitoid to exploit populations of aphids that differ in their size structure. The importance of these results in terms of the ecological adaptations of the parasitoid and their implication for biological control are discussed.
Diachasmimorpha longicaudata is the most widely used endoparasitoid in biocontrol programmes against various species of tephritids and is continuously mass-reared under laboratory conditions at a constant temperature; however, little is known about how varying the temperature might affect the effectiveness of the mass rearing of immature D. longicaudata. This study aimed to determine the optimum temperature for the development of larvae D. longicaudata the larvae of its host, Bactrocera dorsalis. Third-instar B. dorsalis were exposed for 4 h to five pairs of parasitoids, and then they were kept at one of six temperatures ranging from 19°C to 34°C. The activities of three major antioxidant enzymes (CAT, POX, SOD) were individually measured 4, 24, 48 and 72 h after exposure to each of the six temperatures. The results were as follows: for CAT the highest CAT activities were recorded at 25°C (intervals 5-24 h and 25-48 h), at 28°C (interval 0-4 h) and at 31°C (interval 49-72 h), and for POX and SOD identically at 25°C (intervals 0-4 h, 5-24 h) and at 31°C (intervals 25-48 h, 49-72 h), respectively. Subsequently, the effects keeping the parasitized larvae at these different temperatures on the biological attributes of D. longicaudata reared under laboratory conditions were investigated. The percentage of their eggs that hatched, percentage of adults that emerged, pupal weight and longevity were significantly greater than that recorded for the control when the parasitized host larvae were kept at 28°C for 4 h, 25°C for 5 and 48 h and 31°C for 49 and 72 h.
We investigated the effect of the feeding behaviour of young larvae of Pieris rapae crucivora Boisduval (Pieridae) on parasitism by the parasitoid wasp, Cotesia glomerata (L.) (Braconidae). Young, 1st-3rd instar larvae used approximately three sites for feeding each day. When not feeding, they moved a short distance away from the feeding sites (= feeding marks) and rested. For first, second and third instar larvae, the distances from the new mark, made within 24 h, to larva at rest were, respectively, about 3.5 mm, 5 mm and more than 10 mm. To resume feeding, they moved back to one of the former feeding sites or a new site. The percentage of the feeding marks older than 24 h that attracted parasitoids was less than 50%. Time spent searching for hosts by a parasitoid was short. Larvae placed 5 mm or more from a feeding mark were less parasitized than the larvae placed near a mark. The number of feeding marks affected parasitism. When comparing single-marked and triple-marked leaves, the percentage parasitism of the larvae on the latter was significantly lower than that of the larvae on the former. On triple-marked leaves, parasitoids visited each mark unevenly. Accordingly, the time spent searching each mark differed significantly among the marks. Because of this confusing effect, hosts are considered to be reducing the risk of parasitism. Our results demonstrate that the feeding habits of young larvae of P. rapae crucivora are adaptive in terms of reducing the risk of parasitism by C. glomerata., Aya Nakayama, Keiji Nakamura, Jun Tagawa., and Obsahuje bibliografii