Host-Seeking Behavior of Aphidius gifuensis (Hymenoptera: Braconidae) Modulated by Chemical Cues Within a Tritrophic Context

Potential Host Range of the Newly Introduced Aphid Parasitoid Aphidius transcaspicus (Hymenoptera: Braconidae) in Hawaii

Aphidius transcaspicus Telenga, a mealy plum aphid (Hyalopterus pruni Geoffroy) parasitoid from the Mediterranean, was recently introduced into Hawaii for control of invasive aphids. Under laboratory conditions the parasitoid successfully attacked several important aphid pests in Hawaii, including the melon aphid Aphis gossypii Glover, the banana aphid Pentalonia nigronervosa (Coquerel), the gr...

Expression differences in Aphidius ervi (Hymenoptera: Braconidae) females reared on different aphid host species

The molecular mechanisms that allow generalist parasitoids to exploit many, often very distinct hosts are practically unknown. The wasp Aphidius ervi, a generalist koinobiont parasitoid of aphids, was introduced from Europe into Chile in the late 1970s to control agriculturally important aphid species. A recent study showed significant differences in host preference and host acceptance (infecti...

Sex ratio in the aphid parasitoid Aphidius colemani (Hymenoptera: Braconidae) in relation to host size.

Identification and validation of reference genes for gene expression analysis in Aphidius gifuensis (Hymenoptera: Aphidiidae)

Reference genes have been utilized in estimating gene expression levels using quantitative reverse transcriptase-quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) analysis. Aphidius gifuensis Ashmaed is one of the most widely used biological control agents for aphids. The biological properties of this species have been studied in detail, and current investigations are focused on elucidating the ...

Olfactory conditioning in mate searching by the parasitoid Aphidius ervi (Hymenoptera: Braconidae).

Despite the fact that insect learning capacity has been broadly demonstrated, the role that this process plays during mate searching has been scarcely explored. We studied whether the sexual behaviour of a male parasitic wasp can be conditioned to the odours from two alternative host plant complexes (HPCs) present during its first copulation. The experimental subjects were newly emerged males o...