Functional response of a parasitoid Ganaspidium utilis （Hymenoptera： Eucoilidae） on the leafminer Liriomyza trifolii （Diptera： Agromyzidae）

Functional response of a solitary, larval-pupal endoparasitoid of Liriomyza leafminers, Ganaspidium utilis Beardsley, was estimated on Liriomyza trifolii Burgess at three temperatures （17℃, 25℃, 29℃ ） and host densities. A type Ⅱ random parasitoid equation （RPE） was used to estimate instantaneous search rate and handling time. The instantaneous search rate increased as temperature increased. All of the RPE regressions obtained for functional response of G. utilis at different temperatures were significant （P〈0.01）. The slope of RPE regression lines was lower across the temperatures. At 29±2℃, the maximum number of larvae parasitized was 7.8 per day. It decreased to 7.2 larvae parasitized at 25±2℃. At 17±2℃, no significant increment of parasitization was observed due to the host density increments. The estimated handling time was lowest at 17±2℃ and highest at 25 ± 2℃, respectively. The ability of G. utilis to find and parasitize L. trifolii over a wide range of temperatures makes them a good candidate for biological control of Liriomyza leafminers.

Functional response of a parasitoid Ganaspidium utilis (Hymenoptera: Eucoilidae) on the leafminer Liriomyza trifolii (Diptera: Agromyzidae)

Abstract Functional response of a solitary, larval‐pupal endoparasitoid of Liriomyza leafminers, Ganaspidium utilis Beardsley, was estimated on Liriomyza trifolii Burgess at three temperatures (17°C, 25°C, 29°C) and host densities. A type II random parasitoid equation (RPE) was used to estimate instantaneous search rate and handling time. The instantaneous search rate increased as temperature increased. All of the RPE regressions obtained for functional response of G. utilis at different temperatures were significant (P < 0.01). The slope of RPE regression lines was lower across the temperatures. At 29 ± 2 °C, the maximum number of larvae parasitized was 7.8 per day. It decreased to 7.2 larvae parasitized at 25 ± 2 °C. At 17 ± 2 °C, no significant increment of parasitization was observed due to the host density increments. The estimated handling time was lowest at 17 ± 2 °C and highest at 25 ± 2 °C, respectively. The ability of G. utilis to find and parasitize L. trifolii over a wide range of temperatures makes them a good candidate for biological control of Liriomyza leafminers.