Climatically Isolated Populations of Habrobracon hebetor Say (Hymenoptera: Braconidae) Demonstrate Striking Differences in Life History Traits

Augmentative release of native natural enemies is a prominent strategy for suppression of crop pests. Intrinsic differences among populations of natural enemies may affect their efficiency in pest management programs. We characterized life history traits of ۱۳ climatically and geographically isolated populations of Habrobracon hebetor Say (Hymenoptera: Braconidae) from different regions of Iran to assess their suitability for biological control of noctuid moths. All experiments were performed at ۲۵±۱°C, ۶۵±۵ RH and ۱۶:۸ (L:D) hours photoperiod regime. Ephestia kuehniella (Zeller) (Lepidoptera: Pyralidae) was used as a laboratory host. Our results revealed significant variation in female longevity, paralysis and parasitism rate, sex ratio, reproductive rate and host allocation among different H. hebetor populations tested. The highest number of offspring (۱۲۴.۲) and parasitized larvae (۱۶۰.۱) were observed in Bandar Lengeh and the lowest ones was observed in Urmia and Jiroft, respectively (۳.۴ and ۹.۳ for Urmia and ۳.۱ and ۱۰.۱ for Jiroft). Also, the wasps of Bandar Lengeh paralyzed more than ۹۵% of the introduced host larvae. The longest female longevity and male production (۲۱.۳ days and ۸۰.۱, respectively) were in Bandar Abbas and Bandar Lengeh (۲۱.۳ days and ۸۰, respectively), while the lowest ones were in Dehloran (۱۲.۹ days and ۴۰.۲, respectively). Gorgan population deployed the highest number of Ephestia kuehniella larvae in foraging behavior test. These results show considerable variation in the life history traits of various populations of H. hebetor, which may affect performance of these populations under field condition.

کلیدواژه ها:

Biological control ، Ectoparasitoid ، Ephestia kuehniella ، Host allocation ، Population differentiation.