On the life cycle of Brachymeria podagrica (Fabricius, 1787) (Hymenoptera: Chalcididae) – a parasitoid of sacrophagid, calliphorid, and muscid flies

Abstract

The lifecycle of Brachymeria podagrica, a parasitic wasp with a worldwide distribution, was studied under laboratory conditions using the flesh fly, Sarcophaga dux, as a host. Two hundred parasite-free 3rd instars of S. dux were exposed for 24 h to 20 female B. podagrica. In daily intervals, maggots and later pupae were examined for developmental stages of the parasitoid. The whole pre-imaginal development at a temperature of 26 °C lasted 21 to 26 days. Three morphologically different instars, followed by a prepupal and a pupal stage, were described using light and scanning electron microscopy. In a second experiment with 100 3rd stage Sarcophaga larvae and 10 parasitoids, a total of 70 wasps emerged 20 to 25 days after exposure. Two fly larvae did not pupate and dried out, while 28 pupae contained a dry or caseous content, dead wasp imagos, or their larval stages. No fly imagines emerged from exposed groups, while all 100 unexposed larvae pupated and adults eclosed between day 12 and day 14 after the start of the experiment, while the imagoes of the parasitoids appeared 8 to 12 days later.