The effects of different temperatures and diets on the biology of Cales noacki Howard (Hymenoptera: Aphelinidae), a parasitoid of the citrus woolly whitefly

Abstract

The biology of Cales noacki Howard (Hymenoptera: Aphelinidae), a particular parasitoid of the woolly whitefly, Aleurothrixus floccosus Maskell (Homoptera: Aleyrodidae), was investigated under laboratory conditions, where the effects of different temperatures [18, 22, 26, 30, 34, 18/26, 26/34 °C] and the longevity of adults on different diets [sugar water (10%), water with honey (10%), water, honeydew of A. floccosus, 1^{st} instar larvae of A. floccosus, or no food] were observed. The longest developmental time of C. noacki was identified at 18 °C (F: 49.0 and M: 48.5 days) and the shortest time was at 26 and 30 °C constant temperatures (F: 19.1, 18.5 and M: 19.0, 18.9 days). The developmental threshold of the parasitoid was calculated as 10.0 °C and the total effective temperature was 384.6 degree-days. The longest lifespan of adult individuals was at 18 °C (F: 8.6 and M: 8.3 days) and the shortest was under the fluctuating temperature of 26-34 °C (F: 6.2 and M: 6.2 days). The preoviposition period of C. noacki females lasted about 0.8 days, the oviposition period was about 6.4 days, and females parasitized an average of 37.4 hosts during this period. The lifespan of the adults was the longest when fed sugar water (10%) (F: 7.4 and M: 7.0 days) and the shortest, when without a nutrient (F: 1.1 and M: 1.3 days).