Abstract
AbstractMicroplitis mediator (Haliday), a braconid parasitoid reared on the bertha armyworm, Mamestra configurata (Walker), entered diapause at 16 °C and a 12L:12D (100%) or 14L:10D photoperiod (99%) but not at 16 °C or 21 °C under a 16L:8D photoperiod or at 21 °C and a 12L:12D photoperiod. Diapause development was accelerated by cold treatment; adults emerged from diapause more rapidly with increasing duration of cold exposure at least up to 120 days. The main pupation site was found to be on senescent canola leaves which formed a leaf litter on or near the plants. Nearly all unparasitized fourth-instar hosts (98–100%) were found on host plants, whether the conditions induced diapause or not. Only 16–23 and 0% of parasitoids pupated on host plants under conditions of non-diapause or diapause induction, respectively. Because the pupation site of the parasitoid depends on movement of the host, these results suggest that mature parasitoid larvae modify movement of their host.
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