Comparative life table statistics of Apoanagyrus lopezi reared on the cassava mealybug Phenacoccus manihoti fed on four host plants

• Published in: Entomologia experimentalis et applicata Vol. 85; no. 2; pp. 113 - 119
• Main Authors: Souissi, R, Le Ru, B
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Oxford, UK Blackwell Science Ltd 01-11-1997; Blackwell
• Subjects: Animal and plant ecology; Animal, plant and microbial ecology; antibiosis; antibiotics; Apoanagyrus lopezi; Biological and medical sciences; cassava; fecundity; fitness; food plants; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; life tables; Manihot esculenta; manihot esculenta x manihot glaziovii; Manihot glaziovii; mortality; oviposition; parasites; parasites of insect pests; parasitoid fitness; parasitoids; Phenacoccus manihoti; Pseudococcidae; Synecology; Talinum fruticosum; Terrestrial ecosystems; tritrophic interaction; tritrophic interactions; Portulacaceae; Insecta; Tritrophic system; Reproduction; Pest; Homoptera; Chalcidoidea; Dicotyledones; Host plant; Egg laying; Insect resistance; Angiospermae; Phenacoccus manihoti; Euphorbiaceae; Female; Life table; Laticiferous plant; Manihot esculenta; Interspecific comparison; Coccoidea; Antibiosis; Parasitoid; Encyrtidae; Arthropoda; Pseudococcidae; Population dynamics; Parasitism; Spermatophyta; Tuber plant; Greenhouse; Hymenoptera; Invertebrata; Fecundity; Variety
• ISSN: 0013-8703; 1570-7458
• DOI: 10.1046/j.1570-7458.1997.00241.x

The demographic statistics of Apoanagyrus lopezi De Santis (Hymenoptera: Encyrtidae) were studied in the laboratory on its host, the cassava mealybug Phenacoccus manihoti Matile‐Ferrero (Homoptera: Pseudococcidae), reared on four host plants characterized by different levels of antibiotic resistance to the mealybug: two cassava varieties, Incoza and Zanaga (Manihot esculenta Crantz: Euphorbiaceae), the faux‐caoutchouc (hybrid of M. esculenta×M. glaziovii Muel. Arg.) and Talinum (Talinum triangulare Jack:Portulacaceae).
Total and daily mean fecundities of female parasitoids were strongly influenced by the host plant but there was no link with antibiotic resistance. The mean duration of the oviposition period was also significantly modified by the host plant and was again not correlated to the level of antibiotic resistance. Net reproduction rates of female parasitoids were nearly 2 times higher on hosts fed on Zanaga and Talinum than on Incoza and Faux‐caoutchouc, and were not related to the total fecundities. The generation time was significantly longer on Faux‐caoutchouc than on the other three plants. The intrinsic rate of increase varied significantly with host plants and was higher on Talinum and Zanaga than on Incoza and Faux‐caoutchouc. With the varieties of cassava, Incoza and Zanaga, it was observed that antibiosis had a significant negative effect on the survival of A. lopezi, which would influence the effectiveness of the parasitoid.