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- Title
BIOLOGICAL STUDIES OF PACHYCREPOIDEUS DUBIUS ASHMEAD (CHALCIDOIDEA: PTEROMALIDAE), A PUPAL PARASITE OF VARIOUS DIPTERA.
- Authors
Nøstvik, Erik
- Abstract
Pachycrepoideus dubius Ash. is a Pteromalid pupal parasite of Musca domestica L., Calliphora erythrocephala Meig., Phormia regina Meig., Piophila casei L., Lucilia sericata Meig., Ceratitis capitata Wied. and various Drosophila species. P. dubius seems to be a cosmopolitan, as it has been reported from North and South America, Australia, the Philippines, the Hawaiian Islands and now from Europe also. In the present experiments Drosophila melanogaster Meig. was used as host. P. dubius females remained alive for nearly two months, and even the oldest animals continued to deposit eggs which developed normally. The ratio between the sexes in a generation was about 70% females to 30% males. Parthenogenesis was observed, this resulting in males only. The reproductive capacity of a single female during its lifetime amounted to about 300 new individuals. A maximum of infection was observed during the first week, after which the number of females emerging rapidly declined until the offspring consisted only of males; it is suggested that this is due to parthenegenesis. Superparasitism was observed and a comparison was made, using Drosophila melanogaster, Piophila casei and Calliphora erythrocephala as hosts. The females of P. dubius displayed a strong positive phototactic reaction, whereas the males did not react to light. The hatching of the animals followed a daily light-cycle, the offspring emerging after dawn, the males one day before the females. An attempt is made to assess the significance of these factors in nature.
- Subjects
CHALCID wasps; PARASITES; PARASITISM; PUPAE; DROSOPHILA; HOST-parasite relationships; PARTHENOGENESIS; BIOLOGY
- Publication
Oikos, 1954, Vol 5, Issue 2, p195
- ISSN
0030-1299
- Publication type
Article
- DOI
10.2307/3565161