Host-specific demography of Utetes anastrephae (Hymenoptera, Braconidae), a native parasitoid of Anastrepha spp. fruit flies (Diptera, Tephritidae)

By

Estrada Marroquín, María
Cancino Hernández, Jorge
Sanchez, Daniel
Montoya, Pablo
Liedo, Pablo

Type

Article

Date of Publication

2022

Original Publication

MycoKeys

Volume

93

Pages

53--69

Subjects

biocontrol , fecundity , intrinsic rate of increase , life table , mass rearing , Parasitism , survival

Contributed by

Pensoft Publishers

Language

English

Published by

Sofia, Bulgaria Pensoft Publishers 2011-

Identifiers

DOI: https://doi.org/10.3897/jhr.93.86860

 

Abstract

The braconidUtetes anastrephae(Viereck, 1913) (Hymenoptera: Braconidae) is a larva-pupal parasitoid of fruit flies of the genusAnastrephaSchiner, commonly associated withAnastrepha obliqua(Macquart, 1835) (Diptera: Tephritidae), the most important pest of mango (Mangifera indicaL., 1753) in Mexico. This parasitoid was established in a laboratory colony using larvae ofAnastrepha ludens(Loew, 1873) as host. Here we describe a demographic study to compare the reproductive and population parameters of this parasitoid reared onA. obliquaandA. ludensunder laboratory conditions. TwoU. anastrephaecohorts of 30 individual pairs each were set up, one was reared onA. obliqualarvae and the other one onA. ludens. Every day, 30 third instar larvae of each host species were exposed to an adult pair through the lifespan of the female. Daily mortality and fecundity were recorded. Life tables were constructed and sex ratios, parasitism rates, survival, reproductive and population parameters were estimated. Higher survival ofU. anastrephaefemales was observed in females fromA. obliqua(mean live expectancy of 22.4 days), but higher fecundity and parasitism occurred in females fromA. ludens(net fecundity of 62.61 daughters/ female and 16.72% parasitism rate). The intrinsic rate of increase (r= 0.128 andr= 0.134 forA. obliquaandA. ludensrespectively), mean generation time (27.88 and 28.30 days) and population doubling time (5.42 and 5.16 days) were similar in both cohorts, as well as the sex ratio (73 and 69% of females). These results suggest thatA. ludensas host increase the production rates; however, any one of these two species could be used as host for mass rearing purposes.