TITLE:
Effect of Diet, Photoperiod and Host Density on Parasitism of Anisopteromalus calandrae on the Tobacco Beetle and Biological Parameters of the Parasitoid
AUTHORS:
Kássia C. F. Zilch, Simone M. Jahnke, Andreas Köhler, Eduarda Bender
KEYWORDS:
Abiotic Factors, Anisopteromalus calandrae, Biological Control, Lasioderma serricorne, Reproductive Potential
JOURNAL NAME:
American Journal of Plant Sciences,
Vol.8 No.12,
November
29,
2017
ABSTRACT: Lasioderma
serricorne is known to be pest of tobacco, besides of
attacking other products in storage. Anisopteromalus
calandrae is an ectoparasitoid of coleopteran larvae also parasitizing the
tobacco beetle. This study was aimed to evaluate the parasitism of A. calandrae on different densities of L. serricorne larvae grown in different
diets and photoperiods, and to record the longevity and reproductive potential
of A. calandrae. Individuals of L. serricorne were raised in three
diets: wheat flour (F); wheat flour and brewer’s yeast (FY) and wheat flour and
dried tobacco (FT). Different amounts of host larvae (10, 20, 50 and 100) for
each diet were exposed to a couple of parasitoids. The same larval densities
from diet F were exposed for 24 h to a couple of adult parasitoids maintained
in three photoperiods (0:24, 12:12 and 24:0 - scotophase: photophase). The
highest values of apparent parasitism were in the density of 50 larvae in the
FY diet (96.34%) and 100 F (92.91%). There was no significant difference in the
parameters in each photoperiod in all larval densities. However, the treatment
in which hosts and parasitoids always remained in scotophase, was the one that
had a significantly higher sex ratio. Females had longer longevity than males
surviving for up to 25 days. On the fourth day of larvae exposure occurred, the
maximum number of offspring generated. It is inferred that A. calandrae has potential to be used as a control agent for
coleopterans that attack stored products.