Effects of repeated and delayed exposure to codling moth eggs on reproduction of Trichogramma cacoeciae and T. principium (Hymenoptera: Trichogrammatidae) females

Laboratory experiments were conducted to evaluate the influence of repeated and delayed exposure to fresh codling moth eggs on the parasitism of Trichogramma cacoeciae Marchal and T. principium Sug. et Sor. The percentage survival of T. cacoeciae and T. principium females significantly declined as the number of exposure times increased (or as the females became older). The highest mean number of parasitized eggs and F₁ progeny were recorded during the first day of exposure, after which they declined. However, the percentage mortality of parasitized eggs of T. cacoeciae and T. principium was negatively correlated with repeated exposure. When the exposure of T. cacoeciae and T. principium females to host eggs was delayed for 3 days after emergence, the percentage of oviposited females was not affected; however, the mean number of parasitized eggs, F₁ individuals and the percentage mortality declined significantly. The current study provided essential information necessary to determine the optimal timing of parasitoid releases to increase the efficiency of T. cacoeciae and T. principium against codling moth.     

Bark thickness of host pine trees and female body size affecting ovipositional success ofSirex nitobei matsumura (hymenoptera: Siricidae)

We examined the effect of bark thickness of host trees on the ovipositional success ofSirex nitobei in relation to female body size by analyzing the relationships between female body-weight and ovipositor length and between bark thickness ofP. densiflora andP. thunbergii trees and oviposition proportion (the proportion of eggs laid to the potential female lifetime fecundity) of the woodwasp. The ovipositor length ranged from 6 to 14 mm and was correlated positively with the fresh body-weight of females. The bark thickness of host trees had no significant correlation with the oviposition proportion of large females of more than 100 mg f.wt, whereas it was correlated negatively with that of small females of less than 100 mg f.wt. Thus,P. densiflora, which has thinner bark as a whole thanP. thunbergii, may be more suitable for oviposition, especially for smaller females. Research Fellow of the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science. This study was supported in part by a Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research from the Japanese Ministry of Education, Science, Sports, and Culture (No. 80003292).     

Effect of food,light and host instar on the egg load of the synovigenic endoparasitoid <Emphasis Type="Italic">Venturia canescens</Emphasis> (Hymenoptera: Ichneumonidae)

Laboratory experiments investigated the effect of host instar, light and food on the number of mature eggs in ovaries (egg load) of the synovigenic parasitoid Venturia canescens (Grav.) (Hymenoptera: Ichneumonidae). The wasps that developed from third or fifth instar larvae of Ephestia kuehniella Zeller (Lepidoptera: Pyralidae) were exposed to food (honey) or had no food, had access to water or not, and were reared at the photoperiod 16:8 h light:dark or in continuous darkness at 25 ± 1°C, and 60–70% relative humidity. After death, the parasitoids were dissected to remove the reproductive systems, and mature eggs in ovaries were counted. A three-way ANOVA for egg number with host instar, food and light as factors revealed that egg load varied significantly. In addition, some interactions among the three factors were also found to be significant. The maximum average number (215.80 ± 8.51) of mature eggs was found when the parasitoids developed from third instar larvae, were exposed to continuous darkness and fed with honey. In conclusion, host instar, food supplement and photoperiod could have potential for improving biological control efficacy in stores. However, further studies determining the effect of these factors on egg laying behavior and fecundity should be done.     

Influence of host plant species of Bemisia tabaci (Genn.) (Hom., Aleyrodidae) on some of the biological and ecological characteristics of the entomophagous Serangium parcesetosum Sicard (Col., Coccinellidae)

The entomophagous Serangium parcesetosum Sicard (Col., Coccinellidae) is an effective predator of some whitefly species. However, information on the influence of the preys host plant species on its biological and ecological characteristics is still lacking in the literature. Therefore, the current study focuses on the possible influence of three greenhouse and two field host plant species of Bemisia tabaci (Genn.) (Hom., Aleyrodidae) on the number of eggs laid by S. parcesetosum. In addition, because of the economic importance and widespread planting of cucumber in greenhouses and cotton in the field, these plants were selected for further investigation into the development, mortality, longevity and reproduction of S. parcesetosum at a high temperature in the laboratory. Results showed that S. parcesetosum was able to lay eggs on all five host plant species of B. tabaci, whether greenhouse or field plants. However, among the three greenhouse plant species studied, S. parcesetosum females laid the highest number of eggs on cucumber followed by tomato and then sweet pepper. Of the two field plant species, significantly higher numbers of eggs were laid on tobacco than on cotton. S. parcesetosum could develop either on cucumber or on cotton as preferable host plant species for B. tabaci. There were significant differences in mean developmental duration of larval instars of the same sex between both host plant species; the duration was significantly shorter on cucumber than on cotton. There were no significant differences for mean total developmental duration from egg to adult emergence between both host plant species within the same sex; females showed a mean of 15.9 days and males of 15.1 days on cucumber, while on cotton the means were 17.2 days for females and 16.2 days for males. Total mortality percentage of S. parcesetosum during development from egg to adult stage was lower on cucumber than on cotton, 20.6 and 23.8%, respectively. Longevity of S. parcesetosum varied according to host plant species and sex with a mean of 63.4 days for females and 50.3 days for males on cucumber, and 92.4 days for females and 52.5 days for males on cotton. On cucumber, mean period of oviposition of S. parcesetosum was significantly longer than on cotton. Mean total fecundity was significantly higher on cucumber than on cotton, with means of 97.7 and 31.0 eggs/female, respectively.     

Maternal size dependency of ovariole number in Dastarcus helophoroides (Coleoptera: Colydiidae)

To evaluate the relationship between reproductive potential and body size of Dastarcus helophoroides Faimaire (synonym Dastarcus longulus Sharp), 17 adult females obtained under outdoor conditions were dissected individually to count the ovarioles and determine the mean size of mature eggs in ovarioles and oviducts following the measurements of fresh body weight, body length, maximum body width, maximum width of prothorax, and elytral length. Each female had two ovaries. The number of ovarioles per female varied from 36 to 154 depending on maternal body length. However, the mean length and width of mature eggs were independent of body length. There were no differences in any body-size traits and allometry between the sexes.     

Overwintering of the egg parasitoids Trichogramma brassicae and T. cacoeciae (Hymenoptera: Trichogrammatidae) in the Thrace region of Turkey

Classic biological control is generally understood as an environmentally safe practice of insect pest management. We investigated the overwintering abilities of Trichogramma brassicae Bezd. and T. cacoeciae Marchall in Tekirda Turkey. Parasitized eggs of Ephestia kuehniella Zell (Lep.: Pyralidae) by T. cacoeciae and T. cacoeciae were exposed under outdoor conditions between 17 August and 9 October. Emergence of T. brassicae and T. cacoeciae for the five exposure dates occurred in the same year. An emergence of 99% was observed in the following offspring for all of the tested parasitoid species exposed on 17 September. For eggs that were parasitized later than 9 November 2003, the emergence of parasitoids was in spring, on 19 March 2004. We found that T. brassica and T. cacoeciae were able to overwinter successfully on E. kuehniella. Fecundity of T. brassicae and T. cacoeciae females that overwintered on E. kuehniella was significantly different from the fecundity of control females that were reared under optimal conditions at 25°C. Our results demonstrate that the egg parasitoids T. brassicae and T. cacoeciae are able to overwinter successfully in Turkey .     

Influence of variable photoperiods on the feeding activity and fecundity of<Emphasis Type="Italic"> Galendromus occidentalis</Emphasis> (Nesbitt) (Acari: Phytoseiidae) under laboratory conditions

The influence of variable photoperiods on the feeding activity and fecundity of Galendromus occidentalis (Nesbitt) was studied on a diet of Tetranychus urticae Koch eggs. Starved G. occidentalis females were fed T. urticae eggs under ten 24-h light:dark regimes. Half of the tests started during photophase and the other half during scotophase. T. urticae eggs that were consumed and G. occidentalis eggs that were laid were counted at the end of each photophase and scotophase in a 24 h period. In general, G. occidentalis consumed more T. urticae eggs per h in the first phase of the experiment than in the second, regardless of whether the lights were on or off. In contrast to egg consumption, there were no statistical differences in the mean daily fecundity at the end of the 24-h periods. However, when the experiment was started during photophase, higher fecundity/h was encountered during scotophase than during the photophase. As a result, egg consumption rates were affected by photoperiods in both phases of the experiments. Logistic regression analysis revealed that variable photoperiods and egg consumption did not influence the fecundity of G. occidentalis.     

Effect of Lecanicillium muscarium on Eretmocerus sp. nr. furuhashii (Hymenoptera: Aphelinidae), a parasitoid of Bemisia tabaci (Hemiptera: Aleyrodidae)

Pathogenicity of Lecanicillium muscarium, against Eretmocerus sp. nr. furuhashii (Hymenoptera: Aphelinidae), was investigated under laboratory conditions to determine if the fungal infection of the whitefly host can effect the survival, longevity and fecundity of female parasitoid. The results indicated that the number of parasitized larvae surviving a L. muscarium treatment after 6 days of oviposition decreased with increasing concentrations of L. muscarium and in later stages of development (12 days post oviposition) were not affected by fungal application. There were no significant differences on adult parasitoid survivorship after 7 days among all treatments. Maximum survivorship (73.33%) was observed for control and it was minimum (60%) at 1 × 10⁸ conidia/ml. L. muscarium showed a non significant effect on longevity and next offsprings of female parasitoids. The percentage emergence of parasitoids from the whitefly nymphs produced by the females emerged from treated pupae was almost similar. Maximum emergence (69.77%) was observed at 1 × 10⁶ conidia/ml and it was lowest (61.02%) at conidial concentration of 1 × 10⁸ conidia/ml. Maximum longevity of adult Eretmocerus sp. emerging from whitefly nymphs when treated after 12 days of postoviposition was observed for 1 × 10⁵ conidia/ml having a mean value of 5 days whereas the lowest longevity was 4.9 days observed at 1 × 10⁸ conidia/ml. The results mentioned above indicate that the interaction among biocontrol agents is positive to a greater extent with minimum risk hazards.     

The potential use of different predatory bug species in the biological control of<Emphasis Type="Italic"> Frankliniella occidentalis</Emphasis> (Pergande) (Thysanoptera: Thripidae)

In the present study, the suitability of different predatory bug species, such as Dicyphus tamaninii Wagner, Macrolophus pygmaeus (Rambur), Orius albidipennis Reuter, Orius majusculus Reuter and Orius sauteri Poppius, for the biological control of Frankliniella occidentalis (Pergande) (Thysanoptera: Thripidae), were investigated. Development of the predatory bug species, their reproduction as well as their daily and total prey consumption over a 18-day period with F. occidentalis larvae or various stages of Tetranychus urticae Koch (Acari: Tetranychidae) individuals as prey species were studied during the experiments in the laboratory. In further experiments, the efficiency of D. tamaninii, M. pygmaeus, O. albidipennis and O. majusculus in controlling F. occidentalis under glasshouse conditions was investigated. Results showed that all the predators could develop under the experimental conditions with either F. occidentalis larvae or different stages of T. urticae as prey. When F. occidentalis larvae were offered as prey, the shortest duration of development was observed for O. albidipennis with a mean of 17.7 days, while D. tamaninii took the longest to develop with a mean of 36.3 days. With different stages of T. urticae as prey, the duration of development ranged from 19.3 days in O. albidipennis to 42.9 days in M. pygmaeus. Mean daily fecundity ranged from 0.8 eggs/female for O. majusculus to 2.2 eggs/female for O. sauteri with F. occidentalis larvae as prey and from 0.6, O. majusculus, to 2.3 eggs/female/day, O. sauteri, when different stages of T. urticae were offered as prey. Over the 18-day reproduction period, O. sauteri was the most fecund predatory species, laying a mean total of 31.6 and 31.3 eggs/female with F. occidentalis and T. urticae as prey, respectively. Daily consumption from F. occidentalis larvae ranged between 5.5 individuals consumed per day by O. majusculus and 29.1, by O. sauteri. When different stages of T. urticae were offered as prey, maximal consumption was observed in D. tamaninii with a mean of 29.0 individuals/day, while O. albidipennis consumed the least with an average of 8.1 preys/day. Over the 18-day prey consumption period, D. tamaninii consumed the highest mean number of 422.8 F. occidentalis larvae, while O. majusculus only consumed 98.8 larvae. Also, D. tamaninii had the maximum consumption of different stages of T. urticae with a mean of 522.4, while M. pygmaeus and O. albidipennis consumed the least, with an average of 146.1 and 146.0, respectively. The predatory bugs D. tamaninii, M. pygmaeus, O. albidipennis and O. majusculus significantly reduced the density of F. occidentalis on hybrids of Euphorbia milii, Serissa foetida and Saintpaulia ionantha in the glasshouse, which confirms their efficiency against this pest on different hosts under controlled climatic conditions.     

Factors influencing the parasitism of codling moth eggs by Trichogramma cacoeciae March. and T. principium Sug. et Sor. (Hymen. Trichogrammatidae)

Non-choice laboratory experiments were conducted to evaluate the influence of host acceptance, previous rearing host, host age and the contact time between parasitoids and host on the efficacy of Trichogramma cacoeciae Marchal and T. principum Sug. et Sor. against the codling moth Cydia pomonella. The tendency of T. cacoeciae and T. principum females to attack the codling moth was similar to E. kuehniella, and it was not affected by the previous rearing host. T. cacoeciae showed a greater preference for codling moth eggs than T. principum. A high mean number of emerged F₁ progeny was observed when both parasitoids were sequentially reared on codling moths. Codling moth acceptance, the number of parasitized eggs and the number of emerged progeny were higher when younger codling moth eggs were offered. The tendency of female parasitoids to oviposit remained unchanged when the contact time with the host was prolonged. When the contact time was increased, the number of parasitized eggs and emerged offspring was higher. The results showed that the codling moth fertility (egg hatch) was reduced when younger eggs were offered and when the contact time with the parasitoids was increased. T. cacoeciae was more efficient in reducing codling moth fertility. The current study provided essential information necessary to increase the efficiency of T. cacoeciae and T. principum against the codling moth.     

Sampling procedure for density estimation of bamboo galls induced by <Emphasis Type="Italic">Aiolomorphus rhopaloides</Emphasis> (Hymenoptera: Eurytomidae) in a bamboo stand

 To establish a sampling procedure for estimating the density of bamboo galls induced by Aiolomorphus rhopaloides Walker (Hymenoptera: Eurytomidae) in a stand of bamboo Phyllostachys heterocycla (Carr. Mitf.) (Monocotyledoneae: Gramineae), 5–12 bamboo culms were cut at random in late March of each year during 1998–2001 just before gall-maker emergence. The number of galls on the branches of each bamboo culm was counted. The spatial patterns of the galls on the culms in the stand and on the branches within each culm were measured by Iwao's patchiness regression. Galls were distributed contagiously both on culms and on branches. Current bamboo culms that emerged the previous summer did not require sampling because no galls were observed on them. Except for this, there was no difference in gall density on young and old culms, suggesting that it is not necessary to distinguish them. There were few (<4%) galls above 6 m height during the 4 years. There was no significant difference in gall density up to 4 m and above 4 m, suggesting that branches up to 4 m can be sampled with confidence. Kuno's two-stage sampling method at different precision levels showed that the number of culms to be sampled varied with gall density. For example, at mean density m = 1.0 per branch when the number of sampled branches per culm is 10, a total of 24 culms is required to estimate gall number at a precision level of D = 0.2, where D is the ratio of standard error to mean. Received: July 10, 2002 / Accepted: November 25, 2002 Acknowledgments I thank Dr. K. Kamijo for insect identification. Thanks are also due to the members of the Laboratory of Forest Protection for their kind help with the fieldwork. This study was supported in part by a Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (No. 11460068) from the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology, Japan.     

Seasonal population dynamics of Typhlodromus pyri Scheuten (Acari, Phytoseiidae) in apple orchards in the region Meckenheim

Typhlodromus pyri Scheuten (Acari, Phytoseiidae) has been reported as the most important predator of the European red mite, Panonychus ulmi (Koch) (Acari, Tetranychidae) in apple culture. However, biological data on T. pyri was insufficient on important parameters like seasonal population dynamics and within-tree and on-leaf distribution in apple orchards in the region of Meckenheim, Germany. The purpose of the present work was, therefore, to obtain experimental data on these parameters of T. pyri from 2000 to 2002 in the apple orchards in this region. The results showed that overwintered females of T. pyri reactivate and start laying eggs between late March and early April. The mean daily number of the different stages of T. pyri per leaf peaked in July each year, where it ranged between 0.92–1.68 eggs, 0.81–1.41 nymphs, 0.64–1.32 females and 0.37–0.52 males. A significantly higher number of T. pyri individuals congregated in the bottom layer of trees (0.34–0.64 individuals/leaf) than in the middle and top layers (0.23–0.38 and 0.12–0.23 individuals/leaf, respectively). We found that 91.4–94.1% of the total eggs, 89.6–91.7% larvae, 73.0–76.5% nymphs, 60.5–64.6% adult females and 52.6–55.9% adult males concentrated their activities in the inner area of the leaf surface. More than 50% of the predatory mites congregated in the bottom layer in winter. Mean total density of the overwintering females in December of 2000,2001 and 2002 ranged between 10.6–14.2 females/5 cm twig in the bottom, 7.3–10.4 in the middle and 4.1–6.9 in the top layers of the apple trees. Mean total fecundity recorded over the 3 years was lowest in the overwintering generation with 31.8–37.6 eggs/female, highest in the June generation with 45.9–53.7 eggs/female, and intermediate in the August generation with 41.5–46.1 eggs/female. The overwintering generation was composed entirely of females, while the female to male ratio in the June generation was 2:1, and in the August generation 3:1. T. pyri overwinters as adult females in rough structures, cracks and crevices of twigs.     

Effect of shoot size and phenological variation of host plants on the spatial patterns of cynipid galls

The effects of shoot size and differences in budburst phenology ofQuercus serrata trees on the spatial patterns of galls were investigated for two cynipid species: the sexual generation ofAndricus moriokae and the agamic generation ofAphelonyx glanduliferae. There were marked differences in budburst phenology, but these did not affect the gall density on the tree. The galls of both cynipids showed a contagious distribution in their respective trees, but different abundance patterns under high gall density. The mean number of galls ofA. glanduliferae over a shoot size range was positively correlated with shoot size. More galls ofA. moriokae appeared on larger shoots on trees on which many buds had started growing before oviposition by the agamic adults. In the case of a tree on which a few buds had burst by the time of oviposition, the mean numbers ofA. moriokae galls on shoots of particular size ranges depended on the frequency of shoots in the size class. These results suggest that, although these cynipids prefer to attack larger shoots within a host tree, they may exhibit plasticity in their preference in response to changes in budburst phenology of the host plant relative to the time of oviposition.     

Laboratory rearing of the solitary egg-larval parasitoid, Chelonus oculator Panzer (Hymenoptera: Braconidae) on a newly recorded factitious host Plodia interpunctella (Hübner) (Lepidoptera: Pyralidae)

Plodia interpunctella (Hübner) (Lepidoptera: Pyralidae) is recorded as a new factitious host for the solitary egg-larval parasitoid, Chelonus oculator Panzer (Hymenoptera: Braconidae). A short biology and rearing method of the parasitoid on the new host were studied at 30±1°C, 60–70% relative humidity, with a photoperiod of 16:8 (L: D). Chelonus eclosed from 74.60% of parasitized hosts. No significant difference was found between development times of male and female parasitoids. Development of the parasitoid was completed in 28.14±0.47 days in male, and 28.87±0.58 days in female. However, a significant difference was found between adult sizes of male and female parasitoids. Adult dry mass was found 0.88±0.04 mg in male, and 1.99±0.11 mg in female. In addition, C. oculator was successfully reared from P. interpunctella in twenty generations with the explained method. Significant knowledge about biology of C. oculator is still lacking. However, the parasitoid can be candidate for future research as a biological control agent against some important lepidopteran pests, and P. interpunctella may be suitable factitious host for mass rearing of C. oculator.     

Effect of adult nutrition and insect density on the performance of spotted stem borer, <Emphasis Type="Italic">Chilo partellus</Emphasis> in laboratory cultures

The spotted stem borer, Chilo partellus (Swinhoe) (Lepidoptera: Crambidae) is being successfully reared on artificial diets for screening programmes. Besides quality characteristics of the diet, rearing density and adult nutrition have significant implications on the successful mass multiplication of lepidopterans. The performance of C. partellus moths was assessed on different adult diets (water and sugar solution) and compared with unfed adults. Further, three pairing densities, viz. 2, 5 and 8 pairs/oviposition jar (1177.5 cm³) were compared for their effect on C. partellus longevity and fecundity. In another experiment, different larval densities (100, 150 and 200 neonate larvae/diet jar) were evaluated for their effect on the larval survival. Water-fed moths (both males and females) lived longer (7.32 and 7.26 days, respectively) and showed higher fecundity (307.17 eggs) than the sugar-fed or unfed moths. The latter, however, showed better egg hatchability (76.55%) than the water- or sugar-fed moths (60.45 and 50.59%, respectively). The longevity (5.67 days) and fecundity (258.46 eggs) were significantly greater at pairing density of 2 pairs/jar. The larval survival was higher (58.50%) at rearing density of 100 larvae/jar. The neonate larval release into diet jars was compared with conventional egg release and both modes were no different with respect to larval survival.     

角倍蚜干母发生期和数量变化及秋迁蚜生殖能力

对角倍蚜干母的发生期、数量变化、趋光行为及秋迁蚜生殖能力进行了研究,结果表明:保存于峨眉、昆明实验室和地下室的虫袋,干母发生期分别为4月19-22日、3月31日至4月4日和4月7-10日,与原产地峨眉相比较,保存于昆明实验室和地下室的虫袋,干母发生期分别提前了19、12 d,但发生节律没有明显差异;干母发生期持续4 5 d,发生期中间的1 2 d发生量占总量的70%以上;干母发生时间集中在10:00-16:00,发生量占日发生总量的80%以上;干母对直射自然光或灯光有明显趋性。秋迁蚜密度、单头产若蚜量和怀卵量随着倍子体积的增加而增加,平均体积为(28.2±0.8)cm3的中倍子的秋迁蚜密度、单头产若蚜量和怀卵量分别为(387.7±52.3)头·cm-3、(26.4±3.8)头、(27.6±4.2)头,与体积为(5.4±0.3)cm3的小倍子相比分别增加了46.7%、24.5%和23.8%(p0.05)。在冬寄主藓类存在的条件下,秋迁蚜产若蚜的时间更为集中,持续时间缩短。14:00和18:00迁飞的秋迁蚜,迁飞后即开始产若蚜,并在4 h达到高峰,持续时间分别为30、28 h,而8:00迁飞的秋迁蚜,迁飞2 h后开始产若蚜,16 h后才达到高峰,持续时间为36 h。     

Importation, colonization and establishment of Coccophagus cowperi Gir. (Hymenoptera: Aphelinidae) on Saissetia coffeae (Walk.)(Homoptera: Coccidae) in Egypt

The hemispherical soft scale, Saissetia coffeae (Walker) (Homoptera: Coccidae), is one of the most important pests attacking olive trees in Egypt. During the period 2001–2003, a total of about 300,000 individuals of the parasitoid Coccophagus cowperi Girault (Hymenoptera: Aphelinidae), obtained from India, was released at 35 sites for the biological control of S.coffeae on olive trees in Egypt. The maximum parasitism rates reached 53 and 62%, while average parasitism rates were 17.2 and 30.8% in the Marsy Mattrouh and El-Arish locations, respectively. These results indicate establishment of this parasitoid on this important economic plant in Egypt.     

Host-tree conditions affecting the oviposition activities of the woodwasp,Sirex nitobei Matsumura (hymenoptera: Siricidae)

Experiments were conducted to elucidate how the oviposition activities ofSirex nitobei Matsumura could be affected by different conditions of the host trees, using logs from felled healthy trees and the dead and living trees ofPinus densiflora Sieb. et Zucc. According to days elapsed after tree-felling, the proportions of oviposition defined as the proportion of eggs laid to the potential fecundity of a female during her lifetime, could be divided arbitrarily into three groups. The proportions of oviposition on the logs within 0–3 days after felling,i.e fresh logs, varied greatly from log to log, and about half of female adults showed proportions of oviposition under 50% (mean ±SD: 39±32%). However, all the females that oviposited on the logs 4–24 days after felling,i.e. intermediate logs, invariably showed proportions of oviposition over 50% (88±1.5%). On the other hand, proportions of oviposition in most of the females that oviposited on the logs over 25 days after felling,i.e. old logs, were less than 50% (26±17%). The proportions of oviposition were significantly different between intermediate logs and old logs. The mean proportion of oviposition on living trees and that for dead trees were 45 and 58%, respectively. Thus,S. nitobei in the field would exhibit its preference for weakened trees ofP. densiflora as oviposition sites, as it did for the logs 4–24 days after felling in this study.     

Roles of gall morphology in determining potential fecundity and avoidance of parasitoid attack in <Emphasis Type="Italic">Aphelonyx glanduliferae</Emphasis>

This study addresses the relationship between gall morphology and some fitness components in the agamic generation of Aphelonyx glanduliferae. Larger A. glanduliferae adults that showed higher potential fecundity developed in larger galls. No fewer than 60% of A. glanduliferae individuals were attacked by parasitoids, and cynipids in smaller galls suffered more parasitoid attacks. Thus, large galls are likely to provide considerable food resources and avoidance of parasitoid attack for A. glanduliferae. Both thickness of gall walls (barrier to the parasitoid attack) and diameter of larval chamber (open space for the cynipid larva to move away) were positively correlated with gall size. Mean gall-wall thickness was significantly larger in galls harboring a living cynipid than in those harboring a living parasitoid, but the difference in the mean larval-chamber diameter was not significant. These results suggest that gall-wall thickness plays an important role in avoiding parasitoid attacks. However, the mean ovipositor length of the abundant parasitoid species exceeded the maximum gall-wall thickness, indicating that these parasitoids are potentially able to attack large galls. The higher rate of parasitoid attack in smaller galls suggests that (1) an individual of A. glanduliferae, even if it grows in a small gall, is large enough to be a host for parasitoids, and (2) parasitoids can oviposit more easily on smaller galls of A. glanduliferae, which have thinner walls.     

寄生小蜂对小青×黑杨树皮及杨圆蚧挥发油的行为反应

Four-armed airflow olfactometer was used to determining the foraging behavior ofPteroptrix longgiclava (Girault) (Hymenoptera: Aphelinidae) andEncarsia gigas (Tshumakova) (Hymenoptera: Aphelinidae) to the essential oils which emitted from the healthy bark ofPopulus pseudo-simonii×P. nigra, the infested bark injured byQuadraspidiotus gigas (Thiem & Gerneck), the body and scale of fixed 1st-instar-nymph ofQ. gigas. The results from these experiments showed that the volatile oils produced from the injured bark and from the scale of fixed 1st-instar-nymph had a higher attractive ability to female adults of the two species of wasps. The essential oil produced from the scale of the pest at dosages of 3–7 μL and the essential oil emitted by injured bark at dosages of 5–9 μL had a stronger alluring effect on the host searching behavior ofPteroptrix longgiclava. The essential oil from the body of fixed 1st-instar-nymph ofQ. gigas also had certain effect on the host locating effort ofPteroptrix longgiclava andEncarsia gigas. Those two wasps did not shown any reaction to the essential oil produced by the healthy bark of poplar. Foundation item: This paper was supported by National Natural Science Foundation of China (39970620) and the “TRAPOYT” Biography: CHI De-fu (1962-), male, Ph.D., Professor in Northeast Forestry University, Harbin 150040, P.R. China Responsible editor: Chai Ruihai