Parasitoid Dinarmus acutus (Hymenoptera: Pteromalidae) Parasitizing on bruchid beetle, Acanthoscelides macrophthalmus on Leucaena Tree at Alexandria, Egypt

Abstract

Acanthoscelides macrophthalmus (Schaeffer) (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae: Bruchinae) hold over high host specificity to Leucaena leucocephala (Lamark) deWit (Fabales: Fabaceae) at Alexandria (Egypt). The infestation rate of the seed beetle and its population fluctuation were determined under natural conditions. The rates were low between February and May 2017, While, it increased and reached a peak in August and decreased in the next January. The parasitoid Dinarmusacutus (Thompson) (Hymenoptera: Pteromalidae) emerged in August with high numbers and reached a peak in September, 2017.The current study recorded A.macrophthalmus as a new host of D. acutus at Alexandria. The average survival rate of A. macrophthalmus and D. acutus until the death of adults were 30±3 days and 21±3 days, respectively.This study presented some baseline information regarding the development of A. macrophthalmus that may be beneficial as a biological control agent of L. leucocephala at Alexandria, Egypt. In contrast, if L. leucocephala was considered as beneficial tree, the mass rearing of D. acutus should be done to control A. macrophthalmus.