Eur. J. Entomol. 102 (2): 181-187, 2005 | DOI: 10.14411/eje.2005.029

Effects and interactions of temperature, host deprivation and adult feeding on the longevity of the parasitoid Venturia canescens (Hymenoptera: Ichneumonidae)

Panagiotis A. ELIOPOULOS1, George J. STATHAS*,2, Stelios L. BOURAS1
1 Agricultural University of Athens, Faculty of Plant Production, Laboratory of Agricultural Zoology and Entomology, 75 Iera Odos Str, 118 55 Votanikos, Athens, Greece; e-mail: p_eliopoulos@hotmail.com
2 Laboratory of Biological Control, Benaki Phytopathological Institute, 8 St. Delta Str., 145 61 Kifissia, Athens, Greece

A laboratory study was carried out to determine the effects and interactions of temperature, host deprivation and adult feeding on the longevity of the parasitoid Venturia canescens (Gravenhorst) (Hymenoptera: Ichneumonidae). The effect of body size was also examined. Large wasps (hind tibia length > 1.96 mm) lived significantly longer than smaller conspecifics (hind tibia length < 1.89 mm). Adults reared at 15°C lived longer regardless of whether supplied with hosts or food. Correspondingly, adults had a shorter life at 30°C. Honey-fed adults lived significantly longer than starved adults at all temperatures and irrespective of host presence, while access to hosts resulted in a decrease in longevity at all temperatures, regardless of food supply. The Weibull distribution was used to describe the age specific survival, which in V. canescens is of "Type I", as the risk of death increases with age. Despite the significant effect of host presence on survival it was less than either temperature or feeding. The interactions between feeding, host presence and temperature proved to be significant. The objective of the study was to improve the effectiveness of V. canescens as a biological control agent of stored product pests.

Keywords: Venturia canescens, longevity, parasitoid, adult feeding, temperature, host deprivation, body size

Received: August 16, 2004; Revised: February 21, 2005; Accepted: February 21, 2005; Published: May 3, 2005  Show citation

ACS AIP APA ASA Harvard Chicago Chicago Notes IEEE ISO690 MLA NLM Turabian Vancouver
ELIOPOULOS, P.A., STATHAS, G.J., & BOURAS, S.L. (2005). Effects and interactions of temperature, host deprivation and adult feeding on the longevity of the parasitoid Venturia canescens (Hymenoptera: Ichneumonidae). EJE, 102(2), 181-187. doi: 10.14411/eje.2005.029
Share...
Download citation
  • BibTeX (.bib)
  • Bookends (.ris)
  • EasyBib (.ris)
  • EndNote (.enw)
  • EndNote 8 (.xml)
  • ISI WoS (.isi)
  • Medlars (.medlars)
  • Mendeley (.ris)
  • MODS (.xml)
  • Papers (.ris)
  • RefWorks (.txt)
  • RefManager (.ris)
  • RIS (.ris)
  • MS Word (.xml)
  • Zotero (.ris)
    • Open full article

    References

    1. AHMAD T. 1936: The influence of ecological factors on the Mediterranean Flour Moth, Ephestia kuehniella and its parasite Nemeritis canescens. J. Anim. Ecol. 5: 67-93 Go to original source...
    2. BELING I. 1932: On the biology of Nemeritis canescens. I. Breeding experiences and ecological observations. Z. Angew. Entomol. 19: 223-249 (in German, English abstr.) Go to original source...
    3. BELLOWS T.S. 1985: Effects of host age and host availability on developmental period, adult size, sex ratio, longevity and fecundity in Lariophagus distinguendus FGrster (Hymenoptera: Pteromalidae). Res. Pop. Ecol. 27: 55-64 Go to original source...
    4. BLACKBURN T.M. 1991: A comparative examination of life span and fecundity in parasitoid hymenoptera. J. Anim. Ecol. 60: 151-164 Go to original source...
    5. CANDURA G.S. 1928: A contribution to the knowledge of the moth infesting foodstuffs, Ephestia kuehniella Zeller, and of its parasite, Nemeritis canescens, Gravenhorst. Boll. Lab. Zool. Portici 21: 149-214
    6. CHABI-OLAYE A., SCHULTHESS F., POEHLING H.M. & BORGEMEISTER C. 2001: Factors affecting the biology of Telenomus isis (Polaszek) (Hymenoptera: Scelionidae), an egg parasitoid of cereal stem borers in West Africa. Biol. Control 21: 44-54 Go to original source...
    7. CORBET S.A. & ROTHERAM S. 1965: The life history of the ichneumonid Nemeritis (Devorgilla) canescens (Gravenhorst) as a parasite of the Mediterranean flour moth, Ephestia (Anagasta) kuehniella Zeller, under laboratory conditions. Proc. R. Entomol. Soc. Lond. (A) 40: 67-72 Go to original source...
    8. DEEVEY E.S. 1947: Life tables for natural populations of animals. Quart. Rev. Biol. 22: 283-314 Go to original source...
    9. ELIOPOULOS P.A. 2003: Study of the Parasitoid Venturia canescens (Hymenoptera: Ichneumonidae) as a Biocontrol Agent Against Lepidopterous Pests of Stored Products. Ph.D. Thesis, Agricultural University of Athens, 181 pp. (in Greek, English abstr.)
    10. FLETCHER J.P., HUGHES J.P. & HARVEY I.F. 1994: Life expectancy and egg load affect oviposition decisions of a solitary parasitoid. Proc. R. Soc. Lond. (B, Biol. Sci.) 258: 163-167 Go to original source...
    11. FRILLI F. 1965: Studies on the Ichneumonid Hymenoptera. I. Devorgilla canescens (Grav.). Entomologica 1: 119-209 (in Italian, English abstr.)
    12. GODFRAY H.C.J. 1994: Parasitoids - Behavioral and Evolutionary Ecology. Princeton Univ. Press, Princeton, NJ, 473 pp Go to original source...
    13. HARDY I.C.W., GRIFFITHS N.T. & GODFRAY H.C.J. 1992: Clutch size in a parasitoid wasp: a manipulation experiment. J. Anim. Ecol. 61: 121-129 Go to original source...
    14. HARVEY J.A. & THOMPSON D.J. 1995: Host behaviour and its influence on foraging and acceptance by the solitary parasitoid wasp, Venturia canescens (Hymenoptera: Ichneumonidae). Entomophaga 40: 193-210 Go to original source...
    15. HARVEY J.A. & VET L.E.M. 1997: Venturia canescens parasitizing Galleria mellonella and Anagasta kuehniella: differing suitability of two hosts with highly variable growth potential. Entomol. Exp. Appl. 84: 93-100 Go to original source...
    16. HARVEY J.A., HARVEY I.F. & THOMPSON D.J. 1994: Flexible larval growth allows use of a range of host sizes by a parasitoid wasp. Ecology 75: 1420-1428 Go to original source...
    17. HARVEY J.A., HARVEY I.F. & THOMPSON D.J. 2001: Lifetime reproductive success in the solitary endoparasitoid, Venturia canescens. J. Insect Behav. 14: 573-593 Go to original source...
    18. HEIMPEL G.E., ROSENHEIM J.A. & KATTARI D. 1997: Adult feeding and lifetime reproductive success in the parasitoid Aphytis melinus. Entomol. Exp. Appl. 83: 305-315 Go to original source...
    19. HEMERIK L. & HARVEY J.A. 1999: Flexible larval development and the timing of destructive feeding by a solitary parasitoid: an optimal foraging problem in evolutionary perspective. Ecol. Entomol. 24: 308-315 Go to original source...
    20. HOCKING H. 1967: The influence of food on longevity and oviposition by Rhyssa persuasoria (L.) (Hymenoptera: Ichneumonidae). J. Austr. Entomol. Soc. 6: 217-223 Go to original source...
    21. HUIS VAN A., KAASHOEK N.K. & MAES H.M. 1990: Biological control of Bruchids (Col.: Bruchidae) in stored pulses by using egg parasitoids of the genus Uscana (Hym.: Trichogrammatidae): a review. In Fleurat-Lassard F. & Ducom P. (eds): Proceedings of 5th International Working Conference on Stored Product Protection, Bordeaux, France, pp. 99-108
    22. JACKSON D.J. 1966: Observations on the biology of Caraphractus cinctus Walker (Hymenoptera: Mymaridae), a parasitoid of the eggs of Dytiscidae (Coleoptera). III. The adult life and sex ratio. Trans. R. Entomol. Soc. Lond. 118: 23-49 Go to original source...
    23. JERVIS M.A. & COPLAND M.J.W. 1996: The life cycle. In Jervis M.A. & Kidd N. (eds): Insect Natural Enemies - Practical Approaches to their Study and Evaluation. Chapman and Hall, London, pp. 63-161 Go to original source...
    24. JERVIS M.A. & KIDD N.A.C. 1999: Parasitoid adult nutritional ecology: implications for biological control. In Hawkins B.A. & Cornell H.V. (eds): Theoretical Approaches to Biological Control. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, pp. 131-151 Go to original source...
    25. JERVIS M.A., KIDD N.A.C. & HEIMPEL G.E. 1996: Parasitoid adult feeding behaviour and biocontrol - a review. Biocontr. News Inform. 17: 11-26
    26. KRISHNAMOORTHY A. 1989: Effect of cold storage on the emergence and survival of the adult exotic parasitoid, Leptomastix dactylopii How. (Hym., Encyrtidae). Entomon 14: 313-318
    27. KURSTAK E.S. 1966: The role of Devorgilla canescens in infection by B. thuringiensis in E. kuehniella - First Part. Ann. Epiphyt. 17: 335-383 (in French, English abstr.)
    28. MACKAUER M. & SEQUEIRA R. 1993: Patterns of development in insect parasites. In Beckage, N.E., Thompson S.N. & Frederici B.A. (eds): Parasites and Pathogens of Insects. Vol. 1. Academic Press, London, pp. 1-23 Go to original source...
    29. MATSUMOTO B.M. 1974: On the adult longevity of the entomophagous parasite, Venturia canescens (Hymenoptera: Ichneumonidae). Entomophaga 19: 325-329. Go to original source...
    30. MAYHEW P.J. & BLACKBURN T.M. 1999: Does development mode organize life-history traits in the parasitoid hymenoptera? J. Anim. Ecol. 68: 906-916 Go to original source...
    31. MCDOUGALL S.J. & MILLS N.J. 1997: The influence of hosts, temperature and food sources on the longevity of Trichogramma platneri. Entomol. Exp. Appl. 83: 195-203 Go to original source...
    32. MORALES-RAMOS J.A. & CATE J.R. 1992: Rate of increase and adult longevity of Catolaccus grandis (Burks) (Hymenoptera: Pteromalidae) in the laboratory at four temperatures. Environ. Entomol. 21: 620-627 Go to original source...
    33. PIANKA E.R. 1970: On r and k selection. Am. Nat. 104: 592-596 Go to original source...
    34. PINDER J.E., WIENER J.G. & SMITH M.H. 1978: The Weibull distribution: a new method of summarizing survivorship data. Ecology 59: 175-179 Go to original source...
    35. SALT G. 1975: The fate of an internal parasitoid, Nemeritis canescens, in a variety of insects. Trans. R. Entomol. Soc. Lond. 127: 141-461 Go to original source...
    36. SALT G. 1976: The hosts of Nemeritis canescens, a problem in the host specificity of insect parasitoids. Ecol. Entomol. 1: 63-67 Go to original source...
    37. SAS INSTITUTE. 2000: JMP, User's Guide, Version 4. SAS Institute Inc., Cary, N.C., 280 pp
    38. SCHMALE I., WACKERS F.L., CARDONA C. & DORN S. 2001: Control potential of three hymenopteran parasitoid species against the bean weevil in stored beans: The effect of adult parasitoid nutrition on longevity and progeny production. Biol. Control 21: 134-139 Go to original source...
    39. SCHOLLER M., PROZELL S., AL-KIRSHI A.G. & REICHMUTH C. 1997: Towards biological control as a major component of integrated pest management in stored product protection. J. Stored Prod. Res. 33: 81-97 Go to original source...
    40. SHIKRENOV D. 1970: The morphological and biological characteristics of Nemeritis canescens Grav., a parasite of Ephestia kuehniella Zell. Rast. Zash. 18: 22-24
    41. SOKAL R.R. & ROHLF F.J. 1995: Biometry - The Principles and Practice of Statistics in Biological Research. 3rd ed. W.H. Freeman, New York, 887 pp
    42. THOMAN D.R. & BAIN L.J. 1969: Two sample tests in the Weibull distribution. Technometrics 11: 805-815 Go to original source...
    43. THOMAN D.R., BAIN L.J. & ANTLE C.E. 1969: Inferences on the parameters of the Weibull distribution. Technometrics 11: 445-460 Go to original source...
    44. TINGLE C.C.D. & COPLAND M.J.W. 1989: Progeny production and adult longevity of the mealybug parasitoids Anagyrus pseudococci, Leptomastix dactylopii, and Leptomastidea abnormis (Hym.: Encyrtidae) in relation to temperature. Entomophaga 34: 111-120 Go to original source...
    45. TRAN T.V. & TAKASU K. 2000: Life history of the pupal parasitoid Diadromus subtilicornis (Gravenhorst) (Hymenoptera: Ichneumonidae) as influenced by temperature, photoperiod, and availability of food and hosts. Entomol. Sci. 3: 255-264
    46. VOGT E.A. & NECHOLS J.R. 1993: The influence of host deprivation and host source on the reproductive biology and longevity of the squash bug egg parasitoid Gryon pennsylvanicum (Ashmead) (Hymenoptera: Scelionidae). Biol. Control 3: 148-154 Go to original source...
    47. WAAGE J.K. & NG S-M. 1984: The reproductive strategy of a parasitic wasp. I. Optimal progeny and sex allocation in Trichogramma evanescens. J. Anim. Ecol. 53: 401-416 Go to original source...
    48. WACKERS F. 1996: Can food provision increase the efficacy of biological control in storage systems? Proceedings of 20th International Congress of Entomology. Firenze, Italy, 25-31 August 1996. p. 551 Go to original source...
    49. WACKERS F.L. 2001: A comparison of nectar- and honeydew sugars with respect to their utilization by the hymenopteran parasitoid Cotesia glomerata. J. Insect Physiol. 47: 1077-1084 Go to original source...
    50. WACKERS F.L., SCHMALE K., CARDONA C.M. & DORN S. 1998: The effect of food supplements on the longevity of the bean weavil parasitoids Anisopteromalus calandrae and Heterospilus prosopidis. IOBC/WPRS Bull. 21: 75-82
    51. WOLCOTT G.N. 1942: The requirements of parasitoids for more than hosts. Science 96: 317-318 Go to original source...

    This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (CC BY 4.0), which permits use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original publication is properly cited. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.


    Return to the content