Environmental Entomology (1995) 24, 950-961

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Robert N. Wiedenmann and J.W. Smith Jr. (1995)
Parasitization of Diatraea saccharalis (Lepidoptera: Pyralidae) by Cotesia chilonis and C. flavipes (Hymenoptera: Braconidae)
Environmental Entomology 24 (4), 950-961
Abstract: The Old World parasites Cotesia chilonis and C. flavipes were compared for survival, parasitization, and utilization of the New World host Diatraea saccharalis. Parasite cultures consisted of one collection of C. chilonis from Japan and three collections of C. flavipes, two temporally separate collections from the Rio Grande Valley of Texas, and a collection from Thailand. Adult females kept without food or water lived an average of 20.3 h and did not differ among parasite cultures. Egg-larval development averaged 13.1 d and did not differ among the cultures. Pupal development averaged 6.5 d for C. chilonis, 7.6 d for the two Texas C. flavipes cultures, and 8.5 d for the Thai C. flavipes culture. Numbers of progeny per parasitized host ranged from 73.9 for one Texas C. flavipes culture to 36.7 for C. chilonis. The C. chilonis culture successfully parasitized 76% of hosts, versus 52 and 57% for the two Texas cultures, and 30% for the Thai culture. Seventy-nine of the 800 D. saccharalis hosts exposed to parasites encapsulated parasite progeny, as evidenced by a localized, dark spot on the posterior dorsum of host larvae. The magnitude of encapsulation differed greatly among cultures. Only one host exposed to C. chilonis encapsulated parasites (0.5%), whereas the three C. flavipes cultures averaged 13% of hosts that encapsulated the parasites. Host larvae exhibiting the characteristic dark spot had several outcomes: delayed complete or partial host pupation (22%); hosts remained in a terminal larval stage (50%); or hosts produced a few parasite progeny (28%). Few differences were found between the two parasite collections from Texas that differed only in the duration of time in culture. However, the results suggested biological differences among C. chilonis, the Thai collection, and the two collections of C. flavipes from Texas.
(The abstract is excluded from the Creative Commons licence and has been copied with permission by the publisher.)


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


Pest and/or beneficial records:

Beneficial Pest/Disease/Weed Crop/Product Country Quarant.


Diatraea saccharalis
Cotesia flavipes (parasitoid) Diatraea saccharalis Thailand
Cotesia flavipes (parasitoid) Diatraea saccharalis U.S.A. (mid S)
Cotesia chilonis (parasitoid) Diatraea saccharalis Japan