Abstract
Searching behavior ofAmitus hesperidum Silvestri andEncarsia opulenta (Silvestri) for immatureAleurocanthus woglumi Ashby was similar. Both parasitoids moved unidirectionally until they encountered a host aggregation at which time they changed to a pattern of short walks with numerous turns. Parasitoid ovipositor insertion was generally at midbody between the host sternites and tergites.Amitus hesperidum females showed a significant preference for 1st instar hosts, have an ovipositional marker, do not feed on exudates from ovipositional wounds (host feed), and have significantly shorter ovipositional times and adult life spans thanE. opulenta which showed a significant preference for 2nd instar hosts, lack an ovipositional marker, and host feed.Encarsia opulenta females showed a significant preference for hosts previously parasitized byA. hesperidum but the reverse was not true. The average number of hosts parasitized by females of both parasitoid species was uninfluenced by the previous presence of the other parasitoid species on the same leaf.
Résumé
Le comportement de recherche des stades immatures deAleurocanthus woglumi Ashby est semblable chezAmitus hesperidum Silvestri et chezEncarsia opulenta (Silvestri). Les 2 parasitoides se déplacent directement jusqu'à la rencontre d'un amas d'hôtes; ils exécutent alors de courtes marches en se retournant fréquemment. L'insertion de l'ovipositeur du parasitoide a lieu généralement à mi-corps entre les tergites et les sternites de l'hôte. Les femelles deAmitus hesperidum montrent une préférence significative pour le 1er stade de l'aleurode, ont un marqueur de dépôt de l'œuf, ne s'alimentent pas sur les blessures créées par leur ponte (alimentation aux dépens de l'hôte) et présentent, des délais de ponte et une longévité imaginale significativement plus courts que chezE. opulenta, qui fait preuve d'une préférence pour des hôtes au 2e stade, n'a pas de marqueur de ponte et se nourrit aux dépens de l'aleurode. Les femelles deE. opulenta montrent une préférence nette pour des hôtes déjà parasités parA. hesperidum alors que la réciproque n'existe pas. Le nombre moyen d'hôtes parasités par les femelles des 2 espèces n'est pas modifié par la présence antérieure d'autres espèces de parasitoides sur la même feuille.
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Partially supported by Cooperative Agreement =12-14-7001-1148 between University of Florida and USDA-SEA. Florida Agricultural Experiment Station Journal Series No. 2771.
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Dowell, R.V., Puckett, D. & Johnson, M. Searching and ovipositional behavior ofAmitus hesperidum [Hym.: Platygasteridae] andEncarsia opulenta [Hym.: Aphelinidae] parasitoids of the citrus blackfly [Hom.: Aleyrodidae]. Entomophaga 26, 233–239 (1981). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02371873
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02371873