Journal of Applied Entomology - Zeitschrift für angewandte Entomologie (1999) 123, 577-583

L. Cagan, T. Turlings, P. Bokor and S. Dorn (1999)
Lydella thompsoni Herting (Dipt., Tachinidae), a parasitoid of the European corn borer, Ostrinia nubilalis Hbn. (Lep., Pyralidae) in Slovakia, Czech Republic and south-western Poland
Journal of Applied Entomology - Zeitschrift für angewandte Entomologie 123 (10), 577-583
Abstract: This paper shows that, within Central Europe, parasitism of the European corn borer (ECB) by the tachinid parasitoid, Lydella thompsoni (LT) increased from 0.47 to 1.49% in south-western Poland (51°03¢N), to 4.31–21.95% in eastern Slovakia (48°20¢N). The synchrony between the parasitoid LT and its primary host, the ECB, was studied in Central Europe under conditions where the host is univoltine, but the parasitoid is bivoltine. A cumulated total of more than 400 LT was field-collected from overwintering ECB larvae. The parasitoid hibernated as larva inside the host. Pupation started in the second half of the following March and 50% of pupation was surpassed in the first half of April. The first parasitoid adults emerged at the end of April and the majority at the beginning of May. Development threshold temperatures for 50% pupation was determined to be 2.7°C, and for 50% adult emergence 5.0°C; the respective thermal constants were 178.8–179.8 and 237.7–251.8 Celsius degree-days. Emerged adults did not parasitize overwintered ECB larvae in spring, hence there must be an alternate host for the first generation of LT in areas of univoltine life cycle of the ECB. Parasitization of the ECB larvae by LT continued until the end of July. The first parasitoid adults from this second generation emerged in the second half of August. By the end of the season, nearly one-third of LT adults had emerged. The rest of this generation apparently overwintered in the larval stage.
(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): Silvia Dorn

Research topic(s) for pests/diseases/weeds:
biocontrol - natural enemies
Research topic(s) for beneficials or antagonists:
surveys/distribution/isolation
population dynamics/epizootiology

---

Pest and/or beneficial records:

Beneficial	Pest/Disease/Weed	Crop/Product	Country	Quarant.
	Ostrinia nubilalis		Czech Republic
	Ostrinia nubilalis		Poland
	Ostrinia nubilalis		Slovakia
Lydella thompsoni (parasitoid)			Slovakia
Lydella thompsoni (parasitoid)	Ostrinia nubilalis		Czech Republic
Lydella thompsoni (parasitoid)	Ostrinia nubilalis		Poland