title: The reproductive strategy of the gregarious parasitoid, Pteromalus puparum (Hymenoptera: Pteromalidae) : 3. Superparasitism in a field population.
abstract: Pteromalus puparum is a gregarious parasitoid of lepidopterous pupae. To determine in which phase of a host outbreak superparasitism occurs, field investigations were carried out on seasonal prevalence of the host, Papilio xuhtus, and parasitism by P. puparum in a citrus grove in Fukuoka, Japan in 1974. Host pupation occurred from May to November and the parasitoid attacked the host throughout this period. Pupal density increased rapidly after mid-August and the percentage parasitism decreased during this period. A high level of parasitism was attained after one or more parasitoid generations in mid-September. The superparasitism was observed after mid-September when the parasitoid attained extremely high density, and resulted in an increase in the proportion of males, high mortality, and a decrease in the size of the progeny.
authors.affiliation: Division of Insect Natural Enemies, Institute of Biological Control, Faculty of Agriculture, Kyushu University, 812, Fukuoka, Japan.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Takagi
keywords: Field population; Parasitoid; Pteromalus; Reproductive strategy; Superparasitism