Abstract
The effects of certain environmental conditions on the survival ofChelonus inanitus (L.) adults were studied in the laboratory. The longevity of the adults decreased with increase in temperature. The survival of males and females under extreme conditions of temperature and humidity was negatively correlated with the duration of exposure. For short periods of exposure the survival ofC. inanitus adults was influenced by high temperatures, the lethal exposure time decreased when the parasitoids had been exposed to high temperatures. Change in the saturation deficit did not affect the survival rate.
Different kinds of food available in the field such as flowers of cotton and alfalfa, cotton nectars and excretion of common aphids, did not prolong the life span ofC. inanitus adults in comparison with parasitoids that had not received food or water. The 50% mortality of males that had been fed on cane-sugar with water, honey, flowers of alfalfa or flowers of cotton, was 15, 23, 5 and 5 days respectively, while these values for females that had been fed on the same type of food were 23, 35, 5 and 3 days respectively.
Résumé
L'influence de certaines conditions de milieu sur la survie des adultes deChelonus inanitus (L.) a été étudiée en laboratoire. La longévité décroit lorsque la température augmente. La survie des mâles et des femelles dans des conditions extrêmes de température et d'humidité est en fonction invetse de la durée du séjour à ces conditions. Lorsqu'elle est courte la survie deC. inanitus est influencée par les températures élevées, la durée mortelle décroît quand les parasitoïdes ont été soumis au préalable à de fortes températures. Des variations dans le déficit de saturation ne modifient pas le taux de survie.
Différents types d'aliments présents dans la nature tels que des fleurs de luzerne ou de coton, le nectar du cotonnier, le miellat de pucerons communs, n'accroissent pas la longévité des adultes par rapport à des parasitoïdes qui reçoivent seulement de l'eau ou sont laissés à jeun. La mortalité de 50% des mâles nourris avec du sucre de canne et de l'eau, du miel, ou des fleurs de luzerne ou de coton, a été notée, respectivement, après 15, 23, 5 et 5 jours tandis que pour les femelles avec les mêmes aliments cette mortalité fut obtenue après 23, 35, 5 et 3 jours respectivement.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Beirne, B. P. — 1963. Ecology in biological control. —Mem. Entomol. Soc. Can., 32, 7–10.
Hegazi, E. M., Hammad, S. M., Altahtwy, Y. M. &E. L. Sawaf, S. K. Sawaf —1973. Parasites of the larval stage of the cotton leafwormSpcdoptera littoralis (Boisduval [Noctuidae, Lepidoptera] in Alexandria region. —Z. Angew. Entomol., 74, 332–336.
Leius, K. — 1960. Attractiveness of different foods and flowers to adults of some hymenopterous parasites. —Can. Entomol., 92, 369–376.
Rechav, Y. — 1974. Effects of common insecticides applied to cotton on adults of a braconid parasitoidChelonus inanitus (L.). —Environ. Entomol., 3, 737–738.
— — 1975. Biological and ecological studies of the parasitoidChelonus inanitus (L.) [Hym.: Braconidae] in Israel. I. Distribution, abundance and parasitism in natural host populations. —Entomophaga, 20, 365–372.
— — 1978. Biological and ecological studies of the parasitoidChelonus inanitus (L.) [Hym.: Braconidae] in Israel. IV. Oviposition, host preferences and sex ratio. —Entomophaga, 23, 95–102
Rechav, Y. &Orion, T. — 1975. The development of the immature stages ofChelonus inanitus. —Ann. Entomol. Soc. Am., 68, 457–462.
Subba Rao, B. R. &Gowda, G. K. U. — 1961. Effect of temperature and humidity on the fecundity and longevity ofChelonus rufus Lyle [Braconidae: Hymenoptera]. —Proc. Ind. Acad. Sci. B., 54, 241–250.
Thompson, W. R. — 1953. A Catalogue of the Parasites and Predators of Insect Pests. —Commonw. Bur. Biol. Control. Ottawa, Sec. 2, Part 2, 101–105.
Winston, P. W. &Bates, D. H. — 1960. Saturated solutions for control of humidity in biological research. —Ecology, 41, 232–237.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Additional information
The study was supported by the cotton production and marketing board, Tel Aviv, Israel.
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Rechav, Y. Biological and ecological studies of the parasitoidChelonus inanitus [Hym.: Braconidae] in Israel. Entomophaga 23, 89–94 (1978). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02371996
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02371996