Comparison of two laboratory cultures of Psyttalia concolor (Hymenoptera: Braconidae), as a parasitoid of the olive fruit fly

• Published in: Biological control Vol. 39; no. 2; pp. 248 - 255
• Main Authors: Sime, Karen R., Daane, Kent M., Messing, Russell H., Johnson, Marshall W.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Elsevier Inc 01-11-2006
• Subjects: Bactrocera oleae; Biological control; biological control agents; Braconidae; Diptera; fecundity; host adaptation; Hymenoptera; insect rearing; insect reproduction; intraspecific variation; life history; longevity; nutritional status; Olea; Olea europaea; Olive; olives; oviposition; Parasitoid biology; parasitoids; Psyttalia; Psyttalia concolor; temperature; Tephritidae; Kenya; Bactrocera oleae; Olive; Psyttalia concolor; Tephritidae; Biological control; Parasitoid biology; Braconidae; Olea
• ISSN: 1049-9644; 1090-2112
• DOI: 10.1016/j.biocontrol.2006.06.007

Life-history trials were conducted in the laboratory on two cultures of
Psyttalia concolor (Szépligeti) (Hymenoptera: Braconidae) reared on olive fruit fly,
Bactrocera oleae (Rossi) (Diptera: Tephritidae). The tested cultures (A and B) had similar histories except that Culture A was maintained in Kenya for four years. Results showed that parasitoids from both cultures preferentially searched on olive fruit containing 8 to 10-day-old (second and third instar) olive flies, and reproduced most successfully when third-instar fly larvae were available. The mean longevity of adult female
P. concolor was a negative function of temperature. Females from Culture B lived significantly longer at 15, 22, 25, and 32
°C than females from Culture A. For both cultures, adult female longevity was significantly longer when the parasitoids were provided with honey than when provided water alone, or nothing; the presence of hosts significantly reduced longevity, suggesting an energetic cost for reproduction. The parasitoids produced an average of 28.7
±
4.1 and 22.2
±
5.1 offspring per female in Cultures A and B, respectively. The results are discussed with respect to use of biological control agents held under different rearing conditions, and the potential of
P. concolor for use as a biological control agent for olive fruit fly in California.