Effect of Host Plants on Successful Parasitism by <I>Haeckeliania sperata</I> (Hymenoptera: Trichogrammatidae) on <I>Diaprepes abbreviatus</I> (Coleoptera: Curculionidae) Eggs

Abstract

Diaprepes abbreviatus L. is a highly polyphagous root weevil that causes damage to several fruit crops, ornamental plants, and other naturally occurring plants in Florida. Haeckeliania sperata Pinto is a gregarious endoparasitoid that attacks D. abbreviatus eggs. We hypothesized that the reproductive success of H. sperata is affected by the host plant of D. abbreviatus. Six host plants with varying degrees of pubescence were used to determine the effect of leaf trichomes on the searching behavior and success of parasitism by H. sperata. No-choice tests showed that H. sperata was able to parasitize Diaprepes eggs laid on the six host plants. However, the plants with a high trichome density on their leaves had a lower percent of parasitism than the plants with smoother leaves. Removing trichomes from a host plant showed that the presence of some leaf trichomes had a negative effect on the overall searching efficiency of H. sperata. The presence of trichomes decreased the total distance traveled and increased the total search time of H. sperata females, resulting in a lower searching speed. Multiple regression analysis was used to establish the relationship between percent parasitism and leaf trichome density, leaf thickness, and the searching speed of H. sperata. Searching speed was the best predictor of percent parasitism; this parameter could be used to predict the suitability of host plants for the establishment of H. sperata. Our findings suggest that the reproductive success of H. sperata is affected by the host plant of D. abbreviatus.

Biological Control with Egg Parasitoids other than Trichogramma – the Citrus and Grape Cases

“…The reproductive success of Haeckeliania sperata appears to be affected by the host plant that D. abbreviatus selects for oviposition (Carrillo et al 2008). Six host plants with varying degrees of pubescence were used to determine successful parasitism and the effect of leaf trichomes on the searching behavior of H. sperata.…”

Enhanced top‐down control of herbivore population growth on plants with impaired defences

“…Such defence traits can increase the mortality of the natural enemies such as coccinellids, crisopids, hoverflies (Belcher & Thurston, 1982 ; Elsey, 1974 ; Obrycky & Tauber, 1984 ; Verheggen et al, 2009 ), parasitoids (Kashyap et al, 1991 ; Keller, 1987 ; Romeis et al, 1999 ), and predatory mites (van Haren et al, 1987 ). These natural enemies are hampered by glandular trichomes, either through decreasing the density and quality of their herbivorous prey (Ataide et al, 2016 ; Duffey, 1980 ; Heidel‐Fischer & Vogel, 2015 ), or through decreasing their foraging efficiency by impeding predator movement (Carrillo et al, 2008 ; Fordyce & Agrawal, 2001 ; Krips et al, 1999 ; van Lenteren et al, 1995 ). Accordingly, predators were found to forage more efficiently in the absence of direct defences (Kaplan & Thaler, 2010 ; Kersch‐Becker & Thaler, 2015 ), but when direct defences are effective against herbivores, additional top‐down control appeared not to add much to this effect (Kersch‐Becker et al, 2017 ).…”

“…These natural enemies are hampered by glandular trichomes, either through decreasing the density and quality of their herbivorous prey (Ataide et al, 2016;Duffey, 1980;Heidel-Fischer & Vogel, 2015), or through decreasing their foraging efficiency by impeding predator movement (Carrillo et al, 2008;Fordyce & Agrawal, 2001;Krips et al, 1999;van Lenteren et al, 1995).…”

Efecto parasítico de Trichogramma y del depredador Chrysoperla sobre huevos de Compsus viridivittatus, plaga de Vitis vinifera, en laboratorio

“…Los parasitoides del género Trichogramma, tienen gran importancia, por incluir especies de interés en el control biológico de plagas y por su facilidad para reproducirse masivamente en laboratorio (Navarro, 1990;Oliveira et al 2000); dentro de las especies más importantes para el control de plagas se encuentran Trichogramma pretiosum Riley y Trichogramma exiguum (García et al, 2011) como parasitoides de huevos de lepidópteros. En Coleóptera son escasos los reportes de parasitoidismo de huevos por especies de Trichogramma; sin embargo, existen estudios de Ceratogramma etienney en huevos de Diaprepes abreviatus (coleoptera: curculionidae) (Amalin et al, 2005), Haeckeliania sperata igualmente en huevos de D. abreviatus (Carrillo et al, 2008) y Uscana lariophaga en huevos de Callosobrucbus maculatus (Fabricius) y Bruchidius atrolineatus Pic, (Coleoptera: Bruchidae) (Van Huis et al, 1991). En el caso específico del género Compsus, Estrada y Soto (2011) mencionan el parasitismo de Haeckeliana sp.…”