Field superparasitism by Phymastichus coffea, a parasitoid of adult coffee berry borer, Hypothenemus hampei

Abstract

Superparasitism by Phymastichus coffea LaSalle (Hymenoptera: Eulophidae), a parasitoid of adults of the coffee berry borer, Hypothenemus hampei (Ferrari) (Coleoptera: Curculionidae: Scolytinae), was recorded under field conditions in a coffee plantation in Colombia. Parasitoid adults were released 1, 5, and 9 days after artificial infestations of 90‐, 150‐, and 210‐day‐old coffee berries with H. hampei females. The position of the beetle inside the berry and the number of P. coffea larvae per female host were assessed 10 days after each parasitoid release. Under laboratory conditions, P. coffea usually lays two eggs per host, one female and one male. In our studies, we often recorded more than six P. coffea larvae in an individual host and mean numbers of larvae per host ranged from two to 4.45. Superparasitism by P. coffea under field conditions was influenced by the age of the coffee berries, which is the most important factor determining the speed of penetration by H. hampei, and therefore the time the beetles are exposed to a P. coffea attack. The number of parasitoid larvae in each H. hampei female gradually decreased with the age of the berry, and also linearly decreased with the time of parasitoid release. Age‐dependent effects of coffee berries that alter the ratio of available hosts to searching parasitoids by providing refuges to the herbivore, largely determine the extent of superparasitism of H. hampei by P. coffea under fields conditions in Colombia.

Superparasitism in gregarious hymenopteran parasitoids: ecological, behavioural and physiological perspectives

“…The use of visible phenotypic or molecular markers (Strand & Godfray, 1989; Daza‐Bustamante et al ., 2002; Shuker & West, 2004; Zhou et al ., 2005) in field experiments would allow for a straightforward distinction between hosts superparasitized by different females and those parasitized by a single female; however, such marking cannot help to discriminate between singly‐parasitized and self‐superparasitized hosts. In conclusion, for gregarious species that do not deposit a fixed number of eggs per oviposition bout (Jaramillo et al ., 2006), the discussed threshold values represent the best possible approach to determine occurrence and frequency of superparasitism in the field.…”

Comportamiento de oviposición de Phymastichus coffea LaSalle (Hymenoptera: Eulophidae) sobre su huésped natural

“…Las antenas, las patas anteriores y el ovipositor de las hembras de P. coffea, al parecer fueron los apéndices principalmente involucrados en el proceso de reconocimiento y aceptación del huésped, lo que hace suponer la presencia de órganos sensoriales en alguno de estos apéndices que permiten a esta especie discriminar a su huésped, lo cual ha sido sugerido en trabajos previos (Castillo et al 2004b, Jaramillo et al 2006b. No sería raro encontrar sensilias en…”

“…Desde entonces, diversos estudios han sido llevados a cabo sobre P. coffea, encaminados a generar información sobre su taxonomía (LaSalle 1990), relación de sexos y longevidad (Feldhege 1992), historia de vida y sistemas de cría (Infante et al 1994), ciclo biológico (Vergara et al 2001), especifi cidad de huéspedes (López-Vaamonde & Moore 1998, Castillo et al 2004a, superparasitismo en laboratorio y campo (Castillo et al 2004b, Jaramillo et al 2006b, capacidad de dispersión y localización de huéspedes (Rojas et al 2006). Sin embargo, no existe información de su comportamiento de oviposición.…”

A coffee agroecosystem model: III. Parasitoids of the coffee berry borer ( Hypothenemus hampei )

“…The reproductive strategy of P. coffea is deuterotokous parthenogenesis wherein virgin females produce females and males (Feldhege, 1992). P. coffea females normally lay two eggs per CBB adult, one in the abdomen and the other in the head, and commonly yield a female and a male parasitoid, but superparasitism may also occur (Jaramillo et al, 2006). Because P. coffea attacks only the adult stage, Espinoza et al (2009) suggested that its action would complement the action of betilid parasitoids in control of CBB.…”

“…Here we focus on the biological control of CBB using parasitic wasps. Three parasitoids species were released in the Americas: two betilids Cephalonomia stephanoderis (Abraham et al, 1990;Barrera, 1994;Aristizábal et al, 1996;Aristizábal et al, 1997;Aristizábal et al, 1998) and Prorops nasuta (Hempel, 1933;Hempel, 1934;Abraham et al, 1990;Infante, 1998), and the eulophid Phymastichus coffea (Infante et al, 1994;Aristizábal et al, 2004;Castillo et al, 2004a;Castillo et al, 2004b;Castillo, 2005;Jaramillo et al, 2005;Jaramillo et al, 2006).…”