PARASITISM OF LYGUS SPP. EGGS BY THE MYMARID WASP ANAPHES OVIJENTATUS (CROSBY AND LEONARD).

Abstract

Various biological relationships between the myramid egg parasite, Anaphes ovijentatus (Crosby and Leonard), and its hosts were studied. Eggs of the four major species of Lygus that occur on crops were highly parasitized. Other mirid hosts in southern Arizona were collected from weeds in agricultural areas. Small numbers of Nabis alternatus Parshley and N. americoferus Carayon, predators of several insect pests, were parasitized in the laboratory. The membracid Spissistilus festinus (Say) was an infrequent host. Parasitism of L. hesperus was similar (82-88%) for eggs 1-6 days old at 25°C, but parasitism of 7-day-old eggs was significantly reduced (18.9%). Parasitism must occur at least 24 hours prior to host egg hatch to be successful; the period of time required for A. ovijentatus egg development. Anaphes ovijentatus developed from egg to adult in L. hesperus eggs at a constant temperature of 12.8°C and at variable regimes with means of 12.8, 10.6, and 32.8°C. An average of 26 progeny per female were produced at the variable 12.8 and 10.6°C regimes, only a few progeny were produced at a constant 12.8°C and none were produced at the variable 32.8°C regime. Lygus hesperus eggs hatched at all four temperature regimes, but nymphs survived to adulthood only at the variable regimes of 12.8 and 10.6°C. Total egg to egg periods at the variable 12.8°C was approximately 103 days for L. hesperus and about 54 days for A. ovijentatus. The majority of the L. hesperus eggs were deposited in the upper halves of cotton, alfalfa, and the crucifer Sisymbrium irio L. plants. L. hesperus deposited more eggs in alfalfa than in cotton plants, but showed no preference between alfalfa and S. irio. Anaphes ovijentatus did not demonstrate clear preferences for L. hesperus eggs in any plant species or plant section.