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  • Publication
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    Host stage preference and sex allocation in Aenasius vexans, an encyrtid parasitoid of the cassava mealybug
    (2000)
    Bertschy, Catherine
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    ;
    Bellotti, Anthony
    ;
    Dorn, Silvia
    The solitary endoparasitoid Aenasius vexans Kerrich (Hymenoptera: Encyrtidae) is used for augmentative releases against the cassava mealybug, Phenacoccus herreni Cox & Williams (Sternorrhyncha: Pseudococcidae), an important pest on cassava in South America. In light of the need for large numbers of high quality females, experiments were conducted on host stage suitability and sex allocation. In choice and no-choice experiments, individual female wasps were offered second and third instar, as well as adult, hosts. During the first five days after emergence, the wasps showed a steady increase in the number of hosts they successfully parasitised per day, but the respective secondary sex ratio for each instar remained constant. Parasitism was highest for third instar hosts in no-choice tests, while in choice tests parasitism was highest in both third instars and adults. The later the developmental stage of the host at oviposition, the faster the parasitoids developed and emerged, and for each host stage, the development time of males was shorter than for females. The sex ratio of the wasps emerging from hosts that were parasitised as second instars was strongly male-biased, while the apparently preferred later stages yielded significantly more females than males. Female and male A. vexans emerging from hosts parasitised at the third instar were significantly larger than for the other stages. This may explain the preference for the third instar as well as the female-biased sex ratio, as size is usually positively correlated with higher fitness, especially in females. The results suggest that third instar hosts are the most suitable for rearing high numbers of large females.
  • Publication
    Métadonnées seulement
    Chemically-mediated attraction of three parasitoid species to mealybug-infested cassava leaves
    (1997)
    Bertschy, Catherine
    ;
    ;
    Bellotti, Anthony
    ;
    Dorn, Silvia
    We investigated whether cassava plants that are infested by the cassava mealybug, Phenacoccus herreni (Pseudococcidae, Sternorrhyncha), emit attractants for the encyrtid parasitoids Aenasius vexans Kerrich, Apoanagyrus (Epidinocarsis) diversicornis Howard, and Acerophagus coccois Smith. Bioassays with a Y-tube olfactometer showed for all three species that female wasps were most responsive and selective when they were 1.5 to 2.5 days old. Females of these age groups were used to test their ability to distinguish between the odor of plants with and without mealybugs. The wasps were offered choices between infested cassava leaves vs. healthy ones, infested leaves vs. clean air, and healthy leaves vs. clean air. A. vexans and A. diversicornis were strongly attracted to infested leaves and preferred these over healthy ones. In contrast,A. coccois was significantly attracted to either healthy or infested leaves, and did not distinguish between the two. The results suggest that A. coccois, which has the broadest known host range of the three, may be responsive only to general plant odors, while A. vexans and A. diversicornis respond more specifically to odors associated with mealybug infestation.