Bulletin of Insectology (2008) 61, 333-336

Elisa Marchetti, Piero Baronio and Maria Luisa Dindo (2008)
In vitro rearing of the tachinid parasitoid Exorista larvarum with exclusion of the host insect for more than one generation
Bulletin of Insectology 61 (2), 333-336
Abstract: We tested the possibility to eliminate the host insect from the line of production of Exorista larvarum (L.), a larval parasitoid of Lepidoptera, for more than one generation. Galleria mellonella (L.) larvae or a plastic sheet were provided as oviposition substrates either to parental or 1st generation females. The eggs/female laid in 45 min were dramatically fewer on the plastic sheet compared to host larvae and decreased from the parental to the 1st generation. Both the 1st and 2nd generation eggs (respectively laid by parental and 1st generation females) were removed from the oviposition substrates (host larvae or plastic sheet) and placed on a skimmed milk-based artificial medium. The percentages of hatched eggs were not significantly affected by the oviposition substrate, but the generation effect was significant and fewer eggs hatched in the 2nd than in the 1st generation. The percentages of puparia and adults were not significantly influenced either by the oviposition substrate or generation. All the 2nd generation adults obtained from eggs laid on the plastic sheet died 1-2 days after emergence, before the females oviposited, whereas the 2nd generation adults obtained from eggs removed from the host integument survived. After mating, the females laid eggs on G. mellonella larvae. The results confirmed that, for one generation, the out-of-host eggs are competitive with those removed from G. mellonella larvae to rear E. larvarum on an artificial medium. The quality of the in vitro-cultured tachinids however decreases over generations, especially if the host is completely excluded from their line of production, i.e. not even used for collecting eggs. Moreover, several factors need to be investigated for E. larvarum to be stimulated to lay more eggs on artificial substrates.
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Database assignments for author(s): Piero Baronio

Research topic(s) for pests/diseases/weeds:
biocontrol - natural enemies
Research topic(s) for beneficials or antagonists:
rearing/culturing/mass production

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Pest and/or beneficial records:

Beneficial	Pest/Disease/Weed	Crop/Product	Country	Quarant.
Exorista larvarum (parasitoid)