Abstract
Matching biotypes of potential biocontrol agents to target host populations can greatly improve the effectiveness of control. This study was designed to determine if the fly Pseudacteon curvatus Borgmeier from Las Flores, Buenos Aires Province, Argentina prefers its natural host, the black fire ant, Solenopsis richteri Forel. We found that P. curvatus strongly preferred S. richteri from Argentina, S. richteri from the United States, and hybrid (S. richteri S. invicta) fire ants from the United States when each was tested against S. invicta from the United States. The time to pupation of developing parasitoids was 10% and 21% longer in hybrid and red fire ants than in black fire ants. Parasitism rates, however, were not significantly different among these ant hosts in no-choice parasitism tests.
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