Influence of Temperature on Flight, Walking and Oviposition Capacities of two Aphid Parasitoid Species (Hymenoptera: Aphidiinae)

Abstract

The cotton aphid, Aphis gossypii Glover (Hemiptera: Aphididae) is one of the major pests of many greenhouse crops. The aphid parasitoids, Aphidius colemani Viereck and Aphidius matricariae (Haliday) (Hymenoptera: Braconidae: Aphidiinae) have been considered good agents for the biological control of A. gossypii. In Mediterranean area, these parasitoids can currently be released under elevated temperature conditions. However, few findings on their behavior changes with temperature are available. In this study, we analyze the consequence of constant temperatures ranging from 20 to 32 °C on the flight, walking and oviposition capacities of Aphidius colemani and Aphidius matricariae. Our results revealed that flight capacity is clearly influenced by temperature. The optimal temperatures for flying are 20 and 25 °C for A. colemani and A. matricariae, respectively. For both species, we observed an increase in the walking capacity but a decrease in the reproductive potential at higher temperatures. Furthermore, regardless of the tested temperature, the mummy production rate was always higher in A. colemani than in A. matricariae. These results indicate that A. colemani is more suitable than A. matricariae for the biological control of A. gossypii in Mediterranean environments. © 2015, Springer Science+Business Media New York.