Effect of Constant Temperatures on the Biology, Life Table, and Thermal Requirements ofAganaspis pelleranoi(Hymenoptera: Figitidae), a Parasitoid ofAnastrepha fraterculus(Diptera: Tephritidae)

Abstract

Aganaspis pelleranoi (Brèthes, 1924) (Hymenoptera: Figitidae) is a koinobiont endoparasitoid of larvae of species of the genus Anastrepha and of Ceratitis capitata. It is a candidate for use as a biological control agent, as under field conditions, it may reach a parasitism rate of 62%. The objective of this study was to determine the effect of different constant temperatures on biological parameters of A. pelleranoi when parasitizing the larva of Anastrepha fraterculus (Wiedemann, 1830) (Diptera: Tephritidae), as well as to determine its thermal requirements. The study was conducted in environmental chambers at 18, 20, 22, 25, 28, and 30 ± 1°C; 70 ± 10% relative humidity; and a 12-h photophase. Females maintained at 18 and 20°C produced more progeny than females at other temperatures tested. The longevity of males and females was inversely proportional to temperature, ranging from 49.1 to 3.73 d for females and from 32.1 to 3.8 d for males at temperatures of 18-30°C, respectively. The duration of the biological cycle (egg-to-adult) was influenced by temperature, and ranged from 69.1 d at 18°C to 30 d at 25°C. No preimaginal development of A. pelleranoi occurred at 28 and 30°C. The relationship between temperature and the demographic parameters of A. pelleranoi showed a linear effect over the temperature range of 18-25°C. The lower temperature threshold and thermal constant were 11.69°C and 391.70 degree days, respectively.

Biology of Doryctobracon brasiliensis at different temperatures: development of life table and determining thermal requirements

“…This result is similar to that obtained by Gonçalves et al. (), who reported the largest number of offspring for Aganaspis pelleranoi (Brèthes) (Hymenoptera: Figitidae) on larvae of A. fraterculus within this same temperature range. On the other hand, studies on parasitoids of fruit flies show that temperature range of 20–25°C is best suited for parasitism (Hurtrel et al.…”

“…For Figitidae A. pelleranoi , Gonçalves et al. () observed the same effect where males and females had longer longevity at 18°C than at 25, 28 and 30°C. This possibly occurs because insects kept at high temperature constantly suffer from water loss (Denlinger and Yocum ).…”

Biology and Thermal Requirements of Fopius arisanus (Sonan, 1932) (Hymenoptera: Braconidae) Reared on Ceratitis capitata Eggs (Wiedemann) (Diptera: Tephritidae)

“…In contrast, there was a reduction (sr < 0.50) at temperatures above 28°C, showing that temperature variation affects the ratio between the sexes (Damos and Savopoulou-Soultani 2012). According to these authors, the sex ratio does not change in isolation only by the temperature variation, but also by the host quality, since under the same thermal conditions, a larger number of females of Doryctobracon areolatus (Szépligeti) (Hymenoptera: Braconidae), A. pelleranoi, and D. brasiliensis are observed at temperature 25°C in larvae of A. fraterculus (Nunes et al 2011, Gonçalves et al 2014, Poncio et al 2016. The sex ratio is a limiting factor in mass rearing of parasitoids and the success in biological control programs.…”

Biological control of fruit flies in Brazil

“…Other native wasp species have been reared under laboratory conditions, such as O. bellus, D. brasiliensis (Figure 1 C), and A. pelleranoi, allowing studies on their biology, behavior, and interspecific competitiveness (Nunes et al, 2011;Gonçalves et al, 2013Gonçalves et al, , 2014Poncio et al, 2016). The obtained results are very promising for future applied work.…”

“…Aganaspis pelleranoi (Figure 1 A) is the best wellknown native species in terms of its biology (Ovruski, 1994;Guimarães et al, 2000). A laboratory colony was established by Gonçalves et al (2013Gonçalves et al ( , 2014Gonçalves et al ( , 2016) based on bioecology. These studies showed that the wasp prefers to attack third-instar larvae of Anastrepha fraterculus (Wiedemann) due to their best emergence rate.…”