Journal of Applied Entomology (2016) 140, 334-345

S. Samra, M. Ghanim, A. Protasov and Z. Mendel (2016)
Comparative study of development parameters of four Ooencyrtus spp. (Hymenoptera: Encyrtidae) on natural and factitious hosts
Journal of Applied Entomology 140 (5), 334-345
Abstract: Biological control approaches such as seeding and augmentation releases of populations of natural enemies mostly rely on the indoor production of predator or parasitoid species, often with the use of alternative prey/host species. In this study, we investigated several development parameters of four egg parasitoid species: Ooencyrtus fecundus, O. near fecundus, O. pityocampae and O. telenomicida, and compared their performance on their natural host, the variegated caper bug (CB) Stenozygum coloratum, and on an alternative, factitious host, the silk moth (SM) Bombyx mori. Survival was higher and development duration shorter in CB eggs, making the CB a better host for these congeners. However, adult longevity was generally longer for individuals that developed in SM eggs. Moreover, O. fecundus and O. pityocampae females that had developed in SM eggs displayed higher fecundity than all other female/host combinations. Survival also varied according to the age of the SM eggs: parasitoid survival rates were significantly higher in 9- to 12-month-old (post-diapausing) eggs than in young (about 1 month old) ones. These results were probably influenced by differences among the egg sizes of the studied hosts. The number of non-laying females and self-superparasitism rates were exceptionally high in O. near fecundus. These findings suggest that SM eggs, and especially those which are being utilized after a long storage, could serve for mass rearing of the studied Ooencyrtus spp.
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Link to article at publishers website
Database assignments for author(s): Shahar Samra, Zvi Mendel, Murad Ghanim, Alexey Protasov

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.
	Stenozygum coloratum
Ooencyrtus pityocampae (parasitoid)	Stenozygum coloratum
Ooencyrtus telenomicida (parasitoid)	Stenozygum coloratum