Egg maturation by Gonatopus bonaerensis (Hymenoptera: Dryinidae) when provided with two species of planthopper (Delphacidae) as hosts

Abstract

Type of ovariole, oöcyte maturation, and ovigeny pattern in the parasitoid Gonatopus bonaerensis Virla(Hymenoptera: Dryinidae) were studied using two species of Delphacidae as hosts. The ovaries of G. bonaerensisare composed of three polytrophic meroistic ovarioles. Females are autogenic and the initial egg load averages3.7 mature eggs. G. bonaerensis is a strongly synovigenic species when parasitizing its usual host, Delphacodessitarea Remes Lenicov and Tesón (Hem.: Delphacidae); however, when attacking the non-preferred hostPeregrinus maidis (Ashmead) (Hem.: Delphacidae), it is weakly synovigenic. Although the number of matureoöcytes increases 3.8-fold during the first 48 h after the emergence, egg numbers decrease significantly in femalesthat spend over 72 h deprived of hosts, apparently as a result of resorption. These results are discussed inthe context of rearing and manipulating G. bonaerensis as a biocontrol agent of planthoppers, which are vectorsof phytopathogens.