Técnica de criação e biologia de Zaeucoila unicarinata (Ashmead)(Hymenoptera: Figitidae) sobre Liriomyza sativae (Blanchard) (Diptera: Agromyzidae)

Abstract

Zaeucoila unicarinata is a widely distributed parasitoid species across South America continent, as a parasitoid of various leafminer flies, including Liriomyza sativae (Blanchard). In this work, we determined the preferential larval instar of the leafminer as a host of Z. unicarinata, the larval density, host exposure time and percentage of honey in the diet for the parasitism of Z. unicarinata parasitizing L. sativae. Further, biological characteristics of the parasitoid parasitizing L. sativae were determined. The experiments were carried out under laboratory conditions of 25 °C, 70 ± 10% R.H. and 12:12h (L:D) photoperiod. Larvae within second instar of L. sativae were preferred by Z. unicarinata for parasitism. The density of 20 larvae of L. sativae exposed to the female parasitoid for 6 h resulted in the largest number of offspring and the highest proportion of females in the offspring produced. The solution of 50% (honey: water) promoted production of greater number of offspring and proportion of female and male longevity compared to 0, 10 and 100% honey solution. Females of Z. unicarinata produced, on average, 183.2 offspring. The average daily parasitism was 23.3 larvae/day. Males lived longer (48.2 days) than females (41.9 days). The fertility life table parameters net of reproductive rate, intrinsic rate of population increase, mean generation time, population doubling time and finite rate of increase were 53.8 females/female, 0.15 female /female*day, 26 days, 4,51 days and 1.16, resepectively. Thus, the results indicate that Z. unicarinata successfully parasite L. sativae larvae and can be reared under the studied physical conditions with adult female parasitoid fed 50% honey solution, offering preferentially second instar larvae of L. sativae at the density of 20 larvae per female during 6h of exposure.