Hostname: page-component-cd9895bd7-dzt6s Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-12-22T17:44:59.686Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Studies on the biology of Aphidius sonchi Marshall (Hymenoptera: Aphidiidae), a parasite of the sowthistle aphid, Hyperomyzus lactucae (L.) (Hemiptera: Aphididae)

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  10 July 2009

Liu Shu-Sheng  and
Mary Carver
Liu Shu-Sheng
Affiliation:
Division of Entomology, CSIRO, G.P.O. Box 1700, Canberra, A. C. T. 2601, Australia
Mary Carver
Affiliation:
Division of Entomology, CSIRO, G.P.O. Box 1700, Canberra, A. C. T. 2601, Australia
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

The hymenopterous parasite, Aphidius sonchi Marshall, has been introduced into Australia as a biological control agent of the sowthistle aphid, Hyperomyzus lactucae (L.), the principal vector of lettuce necrotic yellows virus disease. Some aspects of its biology were studied in the laboratory. Females reared at 22°C contained a mean ± s.e. of 179·4 ± 10·26 eggs on emergence, and more eggs were formed during adult life. Unmated females produced male progeny only; mated females produced progeny of both sexes. At 22°C, both males and females mated within 12 h of emergence. Virgin females could mate successfully after having commenced oviposition and switch to producing progeny of both sexes. At 20°C, both virgin and mated females started oviposition within 7 h of emergence. The female oviposited in all nymphal instars and both apterous and alate adults of the host. Only one egg was laid per insertion of the ovipositor. Superparasitization was common, but only one parasite per aphid survived to the adult stage. Females at 22°C and LD 12:12 oviposited during both the photophase and the scotophase; the proportion of eggs laid in the scotophase was correlated with the availability of hosts. Adult females lived longer in the absence of hosts than in their presence and lived longer than males, and those supplied with water and honey lived longer than those without. Facultative diapause occurred. The integumental coloration of adults varied according to the temperature during their immature stages. Females of A. sonchi oviposited readily in Macrosiphum euphorbiae (Thomas), but their progeny did not develop beyond the egg stage. A. sonchi was parasitized by Alloxysta ancylocera (Cameron), Pachyneuron aphidis (Bouché) and Dendrocerus carpenteri (Curtis) in the field.

Type
Research Article
Information
Bulletin of Entomological Research , Volume 75 , Issue 2 , June 1985 , pp. 199 - 208
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 1985

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

Footnotes

*

Department of Plant Protection, Zhejiang Agricultural University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China.

References

Hofsvang, T. & Hågvar, E. B. (1975). Duration of development and longevity in Aphidius ervi and Aphidius platensis (Hym.: Aphidiidae), two parasites of Myzus persicae (Hom.: Aphididae).—Entomophaga 20, 11–22.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hughes, R. D. & Woolcock, L. T. (1965). A modification of Johnson's method of rearing aphids, for ecological studies.—N. Z. Jl agric. Res. 8, 728–736.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Liu, S. S. (1983). An investigation of ecological relationships.—Experimental studies of the interactions between the sowthistle aphid, Hyperomyzus lactucae and its parasite, Aphidius sonchi.—314 pp. Ph.D. thesis, Australian National University, Canberra.Google Scholar
Liu, S. S. & Carver, M. (1982). The effect of temperature on the adult integumental coloration of Aphidius smithi .—Entomologia exp. appl. 32, 54–60.Google Scholar
Liu, S. S., Morton, R. & Hughes, R. D. (1984). Oviposition preferences of a hymenopterous parasite for certain instars of its aphid host.—Entomologia exp. appl. 35, 249–254.Google Scholar
Mackauer, M. & Finlayson, T. (1967). The hymenopterous parasites (Hymenoptera: Aphidiidae et Aphelinidae) of the pea aphid in eastern North America.—Can. Ent. 99, 1051–1082.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Mackauer, M. & Starý, P. (1967). Hym. Ichneumonoidea, World Aphidiidae.—in Delucchi, V. & Remaudière, G. (Eds.). Index of entomophagous insects.—195 pp. Paris. Le François.Google Scholar
Milner, R. J. (1981). A modified leaf-disc method for rearing of aphids.—Australas. Invert. Path. Newsletter no. 2, 45–46.Google Scholar
Rogers, D. (1972). Random search and insect population models.—J. Anim. Ecol. 41, 369–383.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Singh, R. & Sinha, T. B. (1982). Bionomics of Trioxys (Binodoxys) indicus Subba Rao & Sharma, an aphidiid parasitoid of Aphis craccivora Koch. XIII. Host selection by the parasitoid.—Z. angew. Ent. 93, 64–75.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Starý, P. (1970). Biology of aphid parasites (Hymenoptera: Aphidiidae), with respect to integrated control.—643 pp. The Hague, Dr Junk B. V. (Series Entomologica Vol.. 6).Google Scholar
Subba Rao, B. R. & Sharma, A. K. (1962). Studies on the biology of Trioxys indicusSubba Rao and Sharma 1958, a parasite of Aphis gossypii Glover.—Proc. natn. Inst. Sci. India (B) 28, 164–182.Google Scholar
Vevai, E. J. (1942). On the bionomics of Aphidiucs matricariae Hal., a braconid parasite of Myzus persicae Sulz.—Parasitology 34, 141–151.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Wiackowski, S. K. (1962). Studies on the biology and ecology of Aphidius smithi Sharma & Subba Rao (Hymenoptera, Braconidae), a parasite of the pea Aphid, Acyrthosiphon pisum (Harr.) (Homoptera, Aphididae).—Polskie Pismo ent. 32, 253–310.Google Scholar