Immature stages of development in the parasitoid wasp, Diachasmimorpha longicaudata
1Laboratorio de Genètica de Insectos de Importancia Económica IGEAF INTA Castelar, CP 1712, Buenos Aires, Argentina
2Laboratorio de Citogenética y Evolución, Departamento de Ecología, Genética y Evolución, FCEN, UBA, CP C1428EGA, Buenos Aires, Argentina
Abstract
The morphological changes experienced during the immature stages of the solitary parasitoid Diachasmimorpha longicaudata (Ashmead) (Hymenoptera: Braconidae: Opiinae) were studied. This natural enemy of several species of tephritid fruit flies is widely used in biological control strategies. Immature stages are poorly understood in endoparasitoids because they exist within the host. In the present work, developmental processes are described for this species, reared in Ceratitis capitata (Wiedemann) (Diptera: Tephritidae) larvae under controlled environmental conditions. At 25º C, 85% RH, and with an 18:6 L:D photoperiod, preimaginal development takes about 16 days. Five preimaginal stages can be described: egg, three larval instars, prepupa, pupa, and pharate adult. Superparasitism was found in 20% of the host pupae, and the number of oviposition scars was positively correlated with the number of parasitoid larvae per host puparium. The results are compared and discussed with previous studies on related species.Keywords: Hymenoptera, developmental stages, superparasitism
Correspondence: a leonela.carabajal@gmail.com
Received: 25 May 2008 | Accepted: 18 May 2009 | Published: 6 June 2010
Copyright: This is an open access paper. We use the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 license that permits unrestricted use, provided that the paper is properly attributed.
ISSN: 1536-2442 | Volume 10, Number 56
Carabajal-Paladino LZ, Papeschi AG, Cladera JL. 2010. Immature stages of development in the parasitoid wasp, Diachasmimorpha longicaudata. Journal of Insect Science 10:56, available online: insectscience.org/10.56
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