title: Parasitism Performance of Tetrastichus brontispae Ferriere over the Coconut Hispine Beetle, Brontispa longissima (Gestro).
abstract: In this study, the effect of host density, host, and parasitoid ages in choice and no-choice tests on the parasitism performance of Tetrastichus brontispae Ferriere, one of the major parasitoid of Brontispa longissima (Gestro), was investigated in the laboratory. The results revealed that an increased host density resulted in no increased parasitism of B. longissima by T. brontispae; the optimal host density was three host pupae per parasitoid when considering the costs for mass rearing. Moreover, parasitoid age was quite crucial for effective parasitism and affected the emergence rate. Although 2-h to 4-day-old parasitoids successfully parasitized the host pupae, younger parasitoids (within 2-day-old) presented higher parasitism capacity than older parasitoids. More importantly, both choice and no-choice tests confirmed that all host stages tested from 2-h to 4-day-old were suitable for T. brontispae parasitization, although 2-h to 2-day-old hosts were preferred. We also demonstrated that sex ratio, emergence rate, and egg to adult developmental time were not influenced by host density, parasitoid, and host age in both choice and no-choice tests. Our data will allow for more accurate prediction and interpretation on the parasitization by T. brontispae, supporting mass-production initiatives and mass release in programs of B. longissima.
authors.affiliation: Environment and Plant Protection Institute, Chinese Academy of Tropical Agricultural Sciences, 571101, Hainan, People's Republic of China.
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.affiliation: Environment and Plant Protection Institute, Chinese Academy of Tropical Agricultural Sciences, 571101, Hainan, People's Republic of China. fubuli@163.com.
authors.forename: B L
authors.initials: BL
authors.lastname: Fu
authors.affiliation: Agricultural Univ of South China, Guangzhou, People's Republic of China.
authors.forename: J R
authors.initials: JR
authors.lastname: Lin
authors.affiliation: Environment and Plant Protection Institute, Chinese Academy of Tropical Agricultural Sciences, 571101, Hainan, People's Republic of China.
authors.forename: Y G
authors.initials: YG
authors.lastname: Fu
authors.affiliation: Environment and Plant Protection Institute, Chinese Academy of Tropical Agricultural Sciences, 571101, Hainan, People's Republic of China.
authors.forename: Z Q
authors.initials: ZQ
authors.lastname: Peng
authors.affiliation: Environment and Plant Protection Institute, Chinese Academy of Tropical Agricultural Sciences, 571101, Hainan, People's Republic of China.
authors.forename: Q A
authors.initials: QA
authors.lastname: Jin
authors.affiliation: Environment and Plant Protection Institute, Chinese Academy of Tropical Agricultural Sciences, 571101, Hainan, People's Republic of China.
authors.forename: L D
authors.initials: LD
authors.lastname: Tang
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001517:Coleoptera / Q000469:parasitology*; D006790:Host-Parasite Interactions; D006927:Hymenoptera / Q000472:pathogenicity*; D011679:Pupa; D014863:Wasps
keywords: Biological control; choice test; host; parasitism; parasitoid