Developmental Effects of Host and Temperature on Telenomus spp (Hymenoptera: Scelionidae) Parasitizing Chrysopid Eggs

• Published in: Biological control 1995-06, Vol.5 (2), p.245-250
• Main Authors: Ruberson, J.R., Tauber, C.A., Tauber, M.J.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: auxiliaire de lutte biologique; biological control organisms; biological development; chrysopa; chrysoperla; chrysopidae; desarrollo biologico; developpement biologique; enemigos naturales; ennemi naturel; hawai; hawaii; hiperparasitismo; host parasite relations; hyperparasitism; hyperparasitisme; natural enemies; organismos para control biologico; ova; ovule; ovulo; parasitoide; parasitoides; parasitoids; relaciones huesped parasito; relation hote parasite; telenomus; temperatura; temperature
• ISSN: 1049-9644; 1090-2112
• DOI: 10.1006/bcon.1995.1030

Telenomus chrysopae (from California and New York) parasitized the stalked eggs of five species of Chrysopidae (two Chrysoperla and three Chrysopa) and the unstalked eggs of Anomalochrysa, a genus endemic to Hawaii. Although immatures from both populations of parasitoids exhibited high developmental and survival rates in eggs of all the Chrysopa and Chrysoperla species, variation in egg size among the host species had a direct effect on the size of the resulting adults. The two populations of T. chrysopae had similar responses to temperature, and many of these responses were shared with another chrysopid parasitoid, Telenomus lobatus: (1) preimaginal survival was highest from 18.3 to 26.7°C and decreased sharply below 18.3°C; (2) lower developmental thresholds were ca. 12°C; and (3) no parasitoids completed development at 10°C. However, at all temperatures tested, T. chrysopae developed faster than T. lobatus. We conclude that T. chrysopae may have a broader host association than T. lobatus and that it can produce more generations/season than T. lobatus. Thus, T. chrysopae may have a substantial negative impact on biological control projects that involve Chrysoperla and Chrysopa species. Some of these negative effects could be mitigated by judicious timing of predator releases. However, to conserve the precarious endemic Hawaiian lacewing fauna, special care should be taken to avoid introducing Telenomus parasitoids of neuropteran eggs into Hawaii.