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1 June 2011 Host Preference by Diachasmimorpha longicaudata (Hymneoptera: Braconidae) Reared on Larvae of Anastrepha fraterculus and Ceratitis capitata (Diptera: Tephritidae)
Sergio M. Ovruski, Laura P. Bezdjian, Guido A. Van Nieuwenhove, Patricia Albornoz-Medina, Pablo Schliserman
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Abstract

The preferences of Diachasmimorpha longicaudata (Ashmead) for larvae of Anastrepha fraterculus (Wiedemann) and Ceratitis capitata (Wiedemann) were evaluated under laboratory conditions in no-choice and dual-choice tests, based on percent parasitism, proportion of emerged parasitoids, proportion of female offspring, and number of parasitoid female visits to and ovipositor probes on the artificial oviposition device as different measures of host preference. In no-choice tests D. longicaudata females did not demonstrate a significant preference between C. capitata and A. fraterculus larvae. Nevertheless, D. longicaudata females showed a strong preference for A. fraterculus larvae in dual-choice test. Although female biased parasitoid progeny resulted in all assays, significantly more D. longicaudata female offspring emerged from A. fraterculus pupae than from C. capitata pupae. Thus, this study confirmed that both C. capitata and A. fraterculus are appropriate host for rearing D. longicaudata, but also provided evidence that female parasitoid progeny yield can be substantially improved by using A. fraterculus larvae as the host instead of C. capitata larvae.

Sergio M. Ovruski, Laura P. Bezdjian, Guido A. Van Nieuwenhove, Patricia Albornoz-Medina, and Pablo Schliserman "Host Preference by Diachasmimorpha longicaudata (Hymneoptera: Braconidae) Reared on Larvae of Anastrepha fraterculus and Ceratitis capitata (Diptera: Tephritidae)," Florida Entomologist 94(2), 195-200, (1 June 2011). https://doi.org/10.1653/024.094.0211
Published: 1 June 2011
KEYWORDS
Argentina
biological control
fruit flies
host preference
parasitoids
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