Influence of Temperature, Photoperiod, and Supplementary Nutrition on the Development and Reproduction of <i>Scutellista caerulea</i> Fonscolombe (Hymenoptera: Pteromalidae)

<i>Scutellista ciruela</i> Fonscolombe has a significant controlling effect on the rubber tree pest, <i>Parasaissetia nigra</i> Nietner. To identify the optimal conditions for the population growth of <i>S. caerulea</i>, we assessed how temperature, photoperiod, a...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Xian Li, Zhengpei Ye, Junyu Chen, Junhong Zhu, Dongyin Han, Jianyun Wang, Lei Li, Yueguan Fu, Fangping Zhang
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2023-01-01
Series:Insects
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Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/2075-4450/14/1/82
Description
Summary:<i>Scutellista ciruela</i> Fonscolombe has a significant controlling effect on the rubber tree pest, <i>Parasaissetia nigra</i> Nietner. To identify the optimal conditions for the population growth of <i>S. caerulea</i>, we assessed how temperature, photoperiod, and supplementary nutrition affected its development and reproduction. The results demonstrated that the number of eggs laid and parasitism rates of <i>S. caerulea</i> were the highest at 33 °C. The developmental rate of <i>S. caerulea</i> was the fastest and the number of emerged adults the highest. The number of eggs laid and the parasitism rates increased when the light duration increased within a day. Females did not lay any eggs when the whole day was dark. At a photoperiod of 14:10 (L:D), the developmental duration was the shortest and the number of emerged adults was the highest. Adult life span was the longest under a 12:12 (L:D) photoperiod. During the adult stage, supplementary nutrition, such as sucrose, fructose, honey, and glucose, increased the life span of <i>S. caerulea</i>. The life span of <i>S. caerulea</i> was longer when provided with a supplementary diet of sucrose or honey, compared to other tested diets. The results suggested that the most suitable conditions for <i>S. caerulea’s</i> population growth were the following: 30 to 33 °C, with 12 to 14 h of daylight, and the provision of sucrose or honey as supplemental diet for the adults.
ISSN:2075-4450