Non-target effects of the exotic generalist parasitoid wasp Fopius arisanus (Sonan) estimated via competition assays against Doryctobracon areolatus (Szepligeti) on both native and exotic fruit fly hosts

• Published in: BioControl (Dordrecht, Netherlands) Vol. 66; no. 1; pp. 83 - 96
• Main Authors: Paranhos, Beatriz A. G., Poncio, Sonia, Morelli, Renata, Nava, Dori E., de Sá, Luiz A. N., Manoukis, Nicholas C.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Dordrecht Springer Netherlands 01-02-2021; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Agriculture; Animal Biochemistry; Animal Ecology; Bactrocera carambolae; Behavioral Sciences; Biological control; Biomedical and Life Sciences; Braconidae; Competition; Entomology; Fruit flies; Fruits; Greenhouses; Hymenoptera; Indigenous species; Laboratories; Life Sciences; Native species; Parasitism; Parasitoids; Plant Pathology; Quarantine; Brazil; Hawaii; Amazon Basin; United States > US; Africa; Hymenoptera; Braconidae; Tephritidae; Diptera
• ISSN: 1386-6141; 1573-8248
• DOI: 10.1007/s10526-020-10057-4

Biological control by the generalist egg parasitoid
Fopius arisanus
(Sonan) (Hymenoptera: Braconidae) has been proposed against
Bactrocera carambolae
(Drew & Hancock) (Diptera: Tephritidae) in northern Brazil. This study assessed possible effects of
F. arisanus
on native parasitoids by focusing on competition with the native wasp
Doryctobracon areolatus
(Szépligeti) (Hymenoptera: Braconidae) on two hosts,
Anastrepha fraterculus
(Wiedemann), a native tephritid, and
Ceratitis capitata
(Wiedemann), an introduced pest tephritid. Laboratory and greenhouse cage studies showed that
F. arisanus
parasitized < 3% of the native host in competition or alone compared to 41–65% for
C. capitata
, while
D. areolatus
parasitized 12–42% of the native host and < 4% on
C. capitata
. The host origin of
F. arisanus
did not affect subsequent parasitism rates on native or exotic hosts. However, when reared on
C. capitata, F. arisanus
had higher parasitism on
C. capitata
than on
A. fraterculus
. Lab and greenhouse competition studies showed that
F. arisanus
had no measurable detrimental effect on the native parasitoid in either the native or introduced host, suggesting that
F. arisanus
interfered minimally with the native parasitoid. Based on these results and other relevant studies showing non-preference of
F. arisanus
for the native fruit fly species, as well as the non-preference of native parasitoids for exotic fruit flies, we infer that the release of
F. arisanus
against exotic tephritids such as
C. capitata
and
B. carambolae
in Brazil would not cause major disruption of the native populations of
A. fraterculus
parasitoids.