Chinese oak silkworm Antherae pernyi egg, a suitable factitious host for rearing eupelmid egg parasitoids

Abstract

BACKGROUND Eupelmid egg parasitoids in the genera Anastatus and Mesocomys are important biological control agents for lepidopterous and hemipterous pests worldwide. The egg of Chinese oak silkworm Antheraea pernyi has been widely used for mass rearing of Trichogramma parasitoids. This study evaluated the suitability and optimal use methods of A. pernyi egg as a factitious host for the rearing of six eupelmid egg parasitoids (Anastatus fulloi, Anastatus gansuensis, Anastatus japonicus, Anastatus meilingensis, Mesocomys albitarsis and Mesocomys trabalae). Each parasitoid was tested for its oviposition preference and offspring performance on various differently treated host eggs (extracted from virgin moths or laid naturally by virgin or mated moths, and washed or unwashed prior to the use) in both no‐choice and choice tests. RESULTS All treated A. pernyi eggs were readily parasitized by the six parasitoids. In general, A. gansuensis and M. trabalae preferred washed over unwashed eggs regardless of the fertilization status of host eggs, A. fulloi and A. meilingensis parasitized more unfertilized than fertilized host eggs, and A. japonicus and M. albitarsis did not show a preference among differently treated host eggs. Host egg treatment did not significantly affect offspring fitness (development time, survival, sex ratio and body size) nor reproductive potential of developed adult females for each parasitoid species, except for M. albitarsis (whose females contained more eggs when reared from unfertilized than fertilized host eggs). CONCLUSION Results suggest that manually extracted, unfertilized and washed A. pernyi eggs are most suitable for mass rearing of these eupelmid egg parasitoids in biological control programs.

Reproductive attributes and functional response ofAnastatus japonicuson eggs ofAntheraea pernyi, a factitious host

“… 18 , 36 Moreover, manually extracted, infertile and washed Antheraea pernyi eggs are most suitable for mass rearing of Anastatus species, including Anastatus japonicus . 37 Our present study showed that Anastatus japonicus could successfully develop on Antheraea pernyi . The developmental time of Anastatus japonicus from egg to adult was 27.5 days on average at 25 °C, which was about 5 days longer than for either Anastatus japonicus and Anastatus bifasciatus when reared on Halyomorpha halys eggs at the same temperature and over 6 days longer than Anastatus japonicus in Riptortus pedestris (Fabricius) (Hemiptera: Alydidae).…”

“…Nonetheless, cold storage of Antheraea pernyi eggs should not exceed 6 months to have limited negative effects to maintain higher level productivity in mass rearing of Anastatus species 18,36 . Moreover, manually extracted, infertile and washed Antheraea pernyi eggs are most suitable for mass rearing of Anastatus species, including Anastatus japonicus 37 . Our present study showed that Anastatus japonicus could successfully develop on Antheraea pernyi .…”

Identification and Comparative Expression Profiles of Candidate Olfactory Receptors in the Transcriptomes of the Important Egg Parasitoid Wasp Anastatus japonicus Ashmead (Hymenoptera: Eupelmidae)

“…Similarly, in recent years, Caligula japonica (Moore) (Lepidoptera: Saturniidae) is a significant pest of walnut, chestnut, plum, apple, pear, and persimmon fruit trees, and its egg parasitoids also include A. japonicus [ 6 ]. Anastatus japonicus reared on Antheraea pernyi (Guérin-Méneville) (Lepidoptera: Saturniidae) eggs had a high biological control potential against Caligula japonica [ 7 , 8 ]. Therefore, A. japonicus has become an important biological control factor for fruit crop pests; more importantly, A. japonicus can be raised on A. pernyi eggs on a large scale indoors [ 8 , 9 ].…”

“…Anastatus japonicus reared on Antheraea pernyi (Guérin-Méneville) (Lepidoptera: Saturniidae) eggs had a high biological control potential against Caligula japonica [ 7 , 8 ]. Therefore, A. japonicus has become an important biological control factor for fruit crop pests; more importantly, A. japonicus can be raised on A. pernyi eggs on a large scale indoors [ 8 , 9 ]. The ability of parasitoid wasps to search for hosts in complex chemical surroundings greatly affects their success in suppressing pest populations, thus affecting the economic value of fruit crops [ 10 ].…”

Comparative demographics, population projections and egg maturation patterns of four eupelmid egg parasitoids on the factitious host Antherae pernyi

“…20 We showed that COS egg was an ideal factitious host for the rearing of these parasitoids because it shares those desirable attributes as a host for mass rearing of parasitoids: low production costs, high reproduction capability, and it is easy to rear, store and transport the host eggs. 20,21 More importantly, we confirmed that these parasitoids reared on COS eggs were as effective as those reared on their natural hosts in parasitizing the target pest C. japonica. 3,22 However, our previous studies had evaluated the parasitism of these parasitoids on COS eggs for a short period of 24 h. The lifetime performance of these parasitoids and their population growth potential on COS eggs remain to be evaluated.…”