Hostname: page-component-586b7cd67f-t7fkt Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-30T23:22:15.825Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

Seasonal parasitism of hemlock looper (Lepidoptera: Geometridae) eggs in eastern Canada

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  02 April 2012

Drew Carleton*
Affiliation:
Population Ecology Group, Department of Biology, University of New Brunswick, Fredericton, New Brunswick, Canada E3B 6E1
Lucie Royer
Affiliation:
Atlantic Forestry Centre, Canadian Forest Service, Natural Resources Canada, P.O. Box 20, University Drive, Corner Brook, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada A2H 6P9
Christian Hébert
Affiliation:
Laurentian Forestry Centre, Canadian Forest Service, Natural Resources Canada, P.O. Box 10380, 1055 du P.E.P.S, Sainte-Foy, Quebec, Canada G1V 4C7
Johanne Delisle
Affiliation:
Laurentian Forestry Centre, Canadian Forest Service, Natural Resources Canada, P.O. Box 10380, 1055 du P.E.P.S, Sainte-Foy, Quebec, Canada G1V 4C7
Richard Berthiaume
Affiliation:
Faculté de foresterie et de géomatique, Département des sciences du bois et de la forêt, Université Laval, Pavillon Abitibi Price, 2405 rue de la Terasse, Québec, Québec, Canada, G1V 0A6
Eric Bauce
Affiliation:
Faculté de foresterie et de géomatique, Département des sciences du bois et de la forêt, Université Laval, Pavillon Abitibi Price, 2405 rue de la Terasse, Québec, Québec, Canada, G1V 0A6
Dan Quiring
Affiliation:
Population Ecology Group, Department of Biology, University of New Brunswick, Fredericton, New Brunswick, Canada E3B 6E1
*
1Corresponding author (e-mail: [email protected]).

Abstract

A 2-year field study was conducted using sentinel traps to determine the seasonal distribution of the egg parasitoid (Hymenoptera) complex attacking hemlock looper, Lambdina fiscellaria (Guenée), throughout eastern Quebec and western Newfoundland. Hemlock looper populations remained low in all areas over the course of the study. Parasitism of eggs in sentinel traps was generally lower in fall than in spring. Trichogramma Westwood (Trichogrammatidae) as well as Telenomus flavotibiae Pelletier and an unidentified species of Telenomus Haliday (Scelionidae) only parasitized eggs in the fall. Telenomus droozi Muesebeck only parasitized eggs in the spring, whereas T. coloradensis Crawford attacked eggs during both fall and spring. Telenomus coloradensis was the most abundant parasitoid species collected and was far more abundant in spring than in fall collections.

Résumé

Une étude de terrain d’une durée de deux ans a été entreprise pour déterminer la répartition saisonnière de l’attaque des oeufs de l’arpenteuse de la pruche, Lambdina fiscellaria (Guenée), par son complexe de parasitoïdes (Hyménoptère). Des pièges sentinelles ont été placés à l’automne et au printemps dans des sapinières situées dans l’est du Québec et sur la côte ouest de Terre-Neuve. Les densités de populations de l’arpenteuse ont été faibles pendant toute la durée de cette étude dans tous les sites échantillonnés. Le parasitisme des oeufs des pièges sentinelles a été généralement plus faible en automne qu’au printemps. Trichogramma Westwood (Trichogrammatidae), Telenomus flavotibiae Pelletier et une espèce non-identifiée de Telenomus Haliday (Scelionidae) ont parasité les oeufs de l’arpenteuse seulement à l’automne. Telenomus droozi Muesebeck n’a parasité les oeufs qu’au printemps, alors que T. coloradensis Crawford les a attaqué au cours des deux saisons. Telenomus coloradensis a été l’espèce de parasitoïde la plus abondante dans nos échantillons tant en automne qu’au printemps et ce dans les deux provinces.

Type
Articles
Copyright
Copyright © Entomological Society of Canada 2009

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.)

References

Carroll, W.J. 1956. History of the hemlock looper, Lambdina fiscellaria fiscellaria (Guen.), (Lepidoptera: Geometridae) in Newfoundland, and notes on its biology. The Canadian Entomologist, 88: 587599.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Delisle, J., West, R.J., and Bowers, W.W. 1998. The relative performance of pheromone and light traps in monitoring the seasonal activity of both sexes of the eastern hemlock looper, Lambdina fiscellaria fiscellaria. Entomologia Experimentalis et Applicata, 89(1): 8798 doi:10.1046/j.1570-7458.1998.00385.x.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hartling, L., MacNutt, P.M., and Carter, N. 1991. Hemlock looper in New Brunswick: notes on biology and survey methods. Report of the Timber Management Branch, Forest Pest Management Sector, New Brunswick Department of Natural Resources and Energy, Fredericton, New Brunswick.Google Scholar
Hartling, L.K., Carter, N., and Proude, J. 1999. Spring parasitism of overwintered eggs of Lambdina fiscellaria fiscellaria (Lepidoptera: Geometridae) by Telenomus near alsophilae (Hymenoptera: Scelionidae). The Canadian Entomologist, 131: 421422.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hébert, C., Berthiaume, R., Dupont, A., and Auger, M. 2001. Population collapses in forecasted outbreak of Lambdina fiscellaria (Lepidoptera: Geometridae) caused by spring egg parasitism by Telenomus spp. (Hymenoptera: Scelionidae). Environmental Entomology, 30: 3743.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hébert, C., Jobin, L., Auger, M., and Dupont, A. 2003. Oviposition traps to survey eggs of Lambdina fiscellaria (Lepidoptera: Geometridae). Journal of Economic Entomology, 96(3): 768776 PMID:12852615.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Hébert, C., Berthiaume, R., and Bordeleau, C. 2006. Polyurethane foam strips to estimate parasitism of hemlock looper (Lepidoptera: Geometridae) eggs by Telenomus spp. (Hymenoptera: Scelionidae). The Canadian Entomologist, 138(1): 114117 doi:10.4039/N05-031.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Orr, D.B. 1988. Scelionid wasps as biological control agents: a review. Florida Entomologist, 71(4): 506528 doi:10.2307/3495011.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Otvos, I.S. 1973. Biological control agents and their role in the population fluctuation of the eastern hemlock looper in Newfoundland. Information Report N-X-102, Newfoundland Forest Research Centre, Canadian Forest Service, Natural Resources Canada, St. John's, Newfoundland.Google Scholar
Otvos, I.S., and Bryant, D.G. 1972. An extraction method for rapid sampling of eastern hemlock looper eggs, Lambdina fiscellaria fiscellaria (Lepidoptera: Geometridae). The Canadian Entomologist, 104: 15111514.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Pelletier, G., and Piché, C. 2003. Species of Telenomus (Hymenoptera: Scelionidae) associated with the hemlock looper (Lepidoptera: Geometridae) in Canada. The Canadian Entomologist, 135(1): 2329 doi:10.4039/N02-035.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Torgersen, T.R., and Ryan, R.B. 1981. Field biology of Telenomus californicus Ashmead, an important egg parasite of Douglas-fir tussock moth. Annals of the Entomological Society of America, 74: 185186.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Zar, J.H. 1999. Biostatistical analysis. 4th ed. Prentice Hall, Upper Saddle River, New Jersey.Google Scholar