Biological parameters and parasitism capacity of Telenomus remus Nixon (Hymenoptera: Platygastridae) reared on natural and factitious hosts for successive generations

Abstract

Factitious hosts are largely used in parasitoid production. However, changes in parasitism capacity may happen when hosts are switched. Therefore, the ability of a parasitoid species to be reared on factitious host and still keep high level of parasitism on the natural target pest after successive rearing can determine parasitoid quality and must be investigated. Thus, we evaluated Telenomus remus parasitism on Corcyra cephalonica eggs compared with its natural host, Spodoptera frugiperda eggs, for different generations. After being reared on C. cephalonica, T. remus parasitism on S. frugiperda was evaluated to measure different T. remus biological parameters and parasitism capacity (parasitoid quality). Gradual increase in C. cephalonica eggs parasitized was observed over the generations, stabilizing on generation F 7 . The number of parasitized C. cephalonica eggs was similar among generations (from generation F 7 to F 19 ). Taking the lifetime parasitism into consideration, parasitism capacity is similar from T. remus reared on S. frugiperda eggs from those reared on C. cephalonica eggs (generation F 19 ). When laboratory-produced T. remus on C. cephalonica eggs was exposed to the natural host, parasitism was higher on F 5 generation and stable from generations F 5 to F 19. Therefore, parasitoids did not lose their ability to parasitize eggs of natural host assuring good quality of the laboratory-produced parasitoid using C. cephalonica eggs as factitious host.

The Amino Acid-Mediated TOR Pathway Regulates Reproductive Potential and Population Growth in Cyrtorhinus lividipennis Reuter (Hemiptera: Miridae)

“…Cyrtorhinus lividipennis is an unusual species that exhibits both herbivorous and predatory feeding habits (Bentur and Kalode, 1985). When C. lividipennis consumed a diet of planthoppers that inhabited gramineous species such as Echinochloa glabrescens, Leptochloa chinesis, Digitaria ciliaris, Cyodon dactylon, and Eleusine indica growing on the bunds surrounding rice fields, their development and reproduction were reduced in comparison to those consuming planthoppers (such as BPH eggs) on rice plants (Pomari-Fernandes et al, 2015), indicating that nutrition from rice plant is beneficial to the predator. When C. lividipennis was fed on eggs of the rice meal moth, Corcyra cephalonica (Lepidoptera: Pyralidae), the predator successfully reached the adult stage (Murugan and George, 1992).…”