Abstract
In this study we analyzed data in the literature on the rates of development of parasitoids that parasitize aphids and coccids. The objective was to determine whether their rates of development, as is well documented for ladybirds, are also dependent on that of their prey. The analysis revealed that, like ladybirds, parasitoids that parasitize aphids develop faster than those that parasitize coccids. Parasitoids and ladybird predators show the same pattern in their rates of development: those attacking aphids develop faster than those attacking coccids. This is strong evidence that we are dealing with a general response rather than one specific to ladybirds. It also lends support to the concept that the development rates of these natural enemies are evolutionarily conserved rather than phylogenetically constrained.
Highlights
Material and MethodsThat the development of ladybirds attacking aphids is faster than that of those attacking coccids, and that this difference reflects the rate of development of their prey is well established (Dixon 2000; Dixon et al 2011)
Analysis of all the results clearly indicates that the parasitoids of aphids develop considerably faster than those of coccids
In the data set analyzed the parasitoids of coccids belong to three families (Aphelinidae, Encyrtidae and Platygastridae) and those of aphids to two families (Aphelinidae and Aphidiidae) (Sharkey 2007), which raises the question: To what extent is the difference recorded above due to the phylogenetic histories of the parasitoids of aphids and coccids? there is one family, the Aphelinidae, common to the parasitoids of aphids and coccids
Summary
Material and MethodsThat the development of ladybirds attacking aphids is faster than that of those attacking coccids, and that this difference reflects the rate of development of their prey is well established (Dixon 2000; Dixon et al 2011). That the development of ladybirds attacking aphids is faster than that of those attacking coccids, and that this difference reflects the rate of development of their prey is well established (Dixon 2000; Dixon et al 2011).
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