Polyembryony in Paraleurocerus bicoloripes (Hymenoptera: Encyrtidae)

Abstract

Paraleurocerus bicoloripes Girault, a polyembryonic endoparasite, overwinters as a mature secondary polygerm in the hemocoel of Marmara fraxinicola Braun. The parasite embryos dissociate from the polygerm in spring and consume the prepupal host. An average of 24.5 parasites mature per host. The precocious larva of P. bicoloripes, a teratoid form, differs from previously described precocious larvae in possessing a rudimentary respiratory system. Field studies indicated that parasitized host larvae fed longer and grew larger than nonparasitized larvae.