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SELF-SUPERPARASITISM IN THE SOLITARY PARASITOID MONOCTONUS PAULENSIS (HYMENOPTERA: BRACONIDAE, APHIDIINAE): PROXIMATE MECHANISMS

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  31 May 2012

Amanda Chau
Affiliation:
Department of Biological Sciences, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, British Columbia, Canada V5A 1S6
Manfred Mackauer*
Affiliation:
Department of Biological Sciences, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, British Columbia, Canada V5A 1S6
*
1Author to whom all correspondence should be addressed (E-mail: [email protected]).

Abstract

Monoctonus paulensis (Ashmead) was reared in the laboratory on the four nymphal instars of the pea aphid, Acyrthosiphon pisum (Harris) (Hemiptera: Aphidoidea: Aphididae). Females frequently laid clutches of two eggs during a single ovipositor probe; however, clutches of more than two eggs were rare. The time needed to capture and position an aphid for oviposition increased with aphid instar but was independent of the number of eggs laid. Oviposition time was proportional to egg number, which shows that eggs were laid one at a time rather than clumped together as a package. Intensity of parasitism (i.e., number of eggs per parasitized host) increased with host instar but declined with the number of hosts attacked in quick succession. Our results suggest that clutch size in M. paulensis is not accidental but controlled by the female.

Résumé

Des Monoctonus paulensis (Ashmead) ont été élevés en laboratoire sur des pucerons Acyrthosiphon pisum (Harris) (Hemiptera : Aphidoidea : Aphididae) des quatre stades larvaires. Les femelles pondent deux oeufs à la fois en fouillant avec leur oviscapte, mais les masses de plus de deux oeufs sont rares. Le temps nécessaire aux femelles pour la capture et le positionnement du puceron pour y pondre augmente avec le stade du puceron, mais n’est pas relié au nombre d’oeufs pondus. La durée de la ponte est proportionnelle au nombre d’oeufs, ce qui démontre que les oeufs sont pondus un à un et non en paquets. La gravité du parasitisme (i.e., le nombre d’oeufs par hôte parasité) augmente en fonction du stade de l’hôte, mais diminue lorsqu’augmente le nombre d’hôtes attaqués en succession rapide. Nos résultats indiquent que le nombre d’oeufs dans une masse chez M. paulensis n’est pas accidentel, mais est déterminé par la femelle.

[Traduit par la Rédaction]

Type
Articles
Copyright
Copyright © Entomological Society of Canada 1999

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