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ARS Home » Northeast Area » Beltsville, Maryland (BARC) » Beltsville Agricultural Research Center » Systematic Entomology Laboratory » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #308801
Title: Host stage preference, efficacy and fecundity of parasitoids attacking Drosophila suzukii in newly invaded areas

Author
item ROSSI STACCONI, V. - Agricultural Institute Of San Michele (IASMA)
item Buffington, Matthew
item DAANE, K. - University Of California
item DALTON, D. - Oregon State University
item GRASSI, A. - Agricultural Institute Of San Michele (IASMA)
item KACAR, G. - University Of California
item MILLER, B. - Oregon State University
item MILLER, J. - Oregon State University
item QUANTAR, M. - Agricultural Research Council (CRA)
item LONI, A. - Agricultural Institute Of San Michele (IASMA)
item IORIATTI, C. - Agricultural Institute Of San Michele (IASMA)
item WALTON, V. - Oregon State University
item WIMAN, N. - Oregon State University
item WANG, X. - University Of California
item ANFORA, G. - Agricultural Institute Of San Michele (IASMA)

Submitted to: Biological Control
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 2/18/2015
Publication Date: 2/23/2015
Publication URL: http://ac.els-cdn.com/S1049964415000171/1-s2.0-S1049964415000171-main.pdf?_tid=393a7304-e78d-11e4-9f40-00000aab0f6b&acdnat=1429555626_a228920ac8969f6db9617c394512bfd6
Citation: Rossi Stacconi, V., Buffington, M.L., Daane, K.M., Dalton, D.T., Grassi, A., Kacar, G., Miller, B.T., Miller, J., Quantar, M., Loni, A., Ioriatti, C., Walton, V.M., Wiman, N., Wang, X., Anfora, G. 2015. Host stage preference, efficacy and fecundity of parasitoids attacking Drosophila suzukii in newly invaded areas. Biological Control. 84:28-35.

Interpretive Summary: Spotted wing Drosophila is a major soft-fruit pest in Europe and the United States. Control for this pest species is best conducted using biological control, since pesticides can be dangerous to human health and reduce the overall value of fruit. This study focuses on conditions best used to raise biological control species in colony for eventual release in fields to control the pest fly. Data presented in this paper will be critical to biological control researchers, extension entomologists, and research entomologists, worldwide.

Technical Abstract: Drosophila suzukii (Matsumura) (Diptera: Drosophilidae) is an invasive species, native to Eastern and Southeastern Asia, that has recently colonized parts of North America and Europe. The severe damage caused by D. suzukii in the newly invaded areas is largely due to the absence of specialized natural enemies that would be able to control the population outbreaks of the introduced species. As a part of the evaluation of the presence and efficacy of natural enemies associated with this pest in Italy and in Pacific United States production regions, we performed a series of parasitization experiments under controlled laboratory conditions. Our study involved one larval parasitoid, Leptopilina heterotoma (Thomson) (Hymenoptera: Figitidae), and two pupal parasitoids, Pachycrepoideus vindemiae (Rondani) (Hymenoptera: Pteromalidae) and Trichopria drosophilae Perkins (Hymenoptera: Diapriidae). The Italian strain of each of these species and the Pacific US strain of P. vindemiae all attack D. suzukii. Three indices were used to describe the host-parasitoid interactions of these species: the degree of infestation; the success rate of parasitism; and the rate of encapsulation. The results confirmed the ability of two species, L. heterotoma and P. vindemiae, to successfully parasitize D. suzukii. Furthermore, results indicate that the Pacific US strain of P. vindemiae is capable of attacking third instar D. suzukii. and it did not show ovipositional preference among four ages of D. suzukii pupae (1, 2, 3 and 4 days old). There was no difference in offspring sex ratio or developmental time of the parasitoid reared from the four different host pupal ages. However, offspring survival was greater on 4-day-old pupae than on 1-day-old pupae. At 23 °C, P. vindemmiae parasitized 78.4 ± 7.5 hosts and successfully produced 68.4 ± 6.8 offspring, of which 80.0 ± 3.0% were females, during a 21.5 ± 1.7 d adult lifetime when provided food and D. suzukii pupae. The female parasitoid had an intrinsic rate of increase of 0.1385 and mean generation time of 28.3 days. Replicated experiments could not be conducted on T. drosophilae, although preliminary data indicated its capacity to develop on D. suzukii. It is clear from these results that there are differences in the utilization of D. suzukii as a host between the three parasitoid species from different regions.