Biology and Fertility Life Table ofAganaspis pelleranoi(Hymenoptera: Figitidae) in Larvae ofAnastrepha fraterculusandCeratitis capitata(Diptera: Tephritidae)

Abstract

AbstractAganaspis pelleranoi (Brèthes) (Hymenoptera: Figitidae) is an important fruit fly parasitoid native to the Neotropics. We investigated the biology and constructed a fertility life table for A. pelleranoi reared on larvae of Anastrepha fraterculus (Wiedemann) and Ceratitis capitata (Wiedemann) (Diptera: Tephritidae). Parasitoid development was investigated in larvae of the two fruit fly species by recording the duration of the egg-adult period, number of offspring, sex ratio, adult weight, adult hind tibia length, and male and female longevity, and constructing a fertility life table. Parasitoids reared on An. fraterculus larvae produced more offspring, had shorter egg-adult periods, greater proportion of females and longer survival, and higher percent emergence than parasitoids reared on C. capitata larvae. Moreover, A. pelleranoi individuals reared on An. fraterculus larvae were heavier and had longer hind tibia than those reared on C. capitata. Based on life table statistics, the time required to double the population (Td) was ≈3.4 times shorter for parasitoids reared on An. fraterculus larvae. Our results show that A. pelleranoi develops better on larvae from An. fraterculus than C. capitata, indicating that this species could be used for the mass production of this parasitoid intended for augmentative biological control of fruit flies.