Journal of Medical Entomology (1997) 34, 704-709

Katherine A. Luhring and Bradley, A. Mullens (1997)
Improved rearing methods for Heleidomermis magnapapula (Nematoda: Mermithidae), a larval parasite of Culicoides variipennis sonorensis (Diptera: Ceratopogonidae)
Journal of Medical Entomology 34 (6), 704-709
Abstract: Improvements in rearing techniques have decreased maintenance needs and have increased the parasitism rate of larval Culicoides variipennis sonorensis Wirth and Jones by the mermithid nematode, Heleidomermis magnapapula Poinar and Mullens: In colony pans with 2,500-3,000 larval C. v. sonorensis, H. magnapapula adults emerged from 22.5% of hosts, with an average yield of 159 female H. magnapapula per pan. H. magnapapula females refrigerated for 1 wk showed no decline in preparasite infectivity compared with nonrefrigerated females. Female insemination did not differ with various mating combinations of 1 or 2 females with 1 or 2 males; 37-47% of these pairs failed to produce fertilized eggs. In 9-cm petri dishes, the optimal preparasite/host ratio was 900 infective preparasites (1 female's entire clutch) to 650-700 C. v. sonorensis larvae. Overall, parasite production was more time- and labor-efficient when larvae were parasitized in regular colony pans compared with petri dishes.
(The abstract is excluded from the Creative Commons licence and has been copied with permission by the publisher.)
Database assignments for author(s): Bradley A. Mullens

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.
	Culicoides sonorensis
Heleidomermis magnapapula (entomopathogen)	Culicoides sonorensis