Entomologia Experimentalis et Applicata (2004) 110, 87-93

Dan Gerling and Neli Rejouan (2004)
Age-related pupal defenses against congeneric internecine activity in Encarsia species
Entomologia Experimentalis et Applicata 110 (1), 87-93
Abstract: We examined whether the young pupae of three parasitoid species, Encarsia inaron (Walker), E. lutea (Masi), and E. sophia (Girault and Dodd) (Hymenoptera: Aphelinidae), all attacking the whitefly Bemisia tabaci (Gennadius) (Hemiptera: Aleyrodidae), exhibited different susceptibility to host feeding and to autoparasitism than older pupae. These parasitoid species differ as follows: E. lutea is autoparasitic and has non-melanized pupae, E. inaron is not autoparasitic and has melanized pupae, whereas E. sophia is autoparasitic and has melanized pupae.
The results showed that the younger pupae were always more susceptible to internecine action (host feeding or autoparasitism) than the older pupae. The relative immunity of the older pupae was not dependent upon pupal melanization, as it was the same for pupae of E. lutea that have unmelanized pupae as the other melanized species.
The findings increased the range of the 'window of opportunity' for male development discovered by Hunter and Kelly (1998, Entomologia Experimentalis et Applicata 89: 249-259) to more Encarsia species and to the phenomenon of host feeding, and suggest that relative pupal resistance to damage may be widespread among these parasitic Hymenoptera.
(The abstract is excluded from the Creative Commons licence and has been copied with permission by the publisher.)
Link to article at publishers website
Database assignments for author(s): Dan Gerling

Research topic(s) for pests/diseases/weeds:
biocontrol - natural enemies
Research topic(s) for beneficials or antagonists:
general biology - morphology - evolution

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Pest and/or beneficial records:

Beneficial	Pest/Disease/Weed	Crop/Product	Country	Quarant.
	Bemisia tabaci
Encarsia sophia (parasitoid)	Bemisia tabaci
Encarsia lutea (parasitoid)	Bemisia tabaci
Encarsia inaron (parasitoid)	Bemisia tabaci