PHYSIOLOGICAL ECOLOGY Influence of Temperature, Nourishment, and Storage Period on the Longevity and Fecundity of the Mealybug Parasitoid, Anagyrus sp. nov. nr. sinope Noyes and Menezes (Hymenoptera: Encyrtidae)

Anagyrus sp. nov. nr. sinope Noyes and Menezes (Hymenoptera: Encyrtidae) is a candidate for biological control of theMadeiramealybug,PhenacoccusmadeirensisGreen (Hemiptera: Pseudococcidae). P. madeirensis is a serious pest of horticultural crops in the southeastern United States. The Þrst experiment studied the effect of temperature (15, 20, 25, 30, and 35 C) and feeding treatment (starved, hydrated with distilled water, and nourished and hydrated with diluted honey) on adult longevity ofAnagyrus sp. nov. nr. sinope. Nourished and hydrated female parasitoids survived an average of 52.8 d at 15 C, which was 14 and 8 times longer than starved and hydrated females at the same temperature, respectively, and 8 times longer than nourished and hydrated females at 35 C. The second experiment studied the inßuence of feeding treatment on the reproduction of Anagyrus sp. nov. nr. sinope at 25 C. Nourished and hydrated female parasitoids lived (mean 14.2 d) and reproduced (mean 7 d) for a longer duration, parasitized more hosts (mean 16), and produced more offspring (mean 45) than starved or hydrated females. The third experiment assessed the longevity and reproduction of Anagyrus sp. nov. nr. sinope after storage for various durations (0, 1, 4, 7, 14, 21 d) at 15 and 25 C. Parasitoids stored at 15 C had increased longevity and a decreased reproductive period but similar parasitism rates and fecundity to those stored at 25 C. The results suggested that theparasitoids couldbe storedat 15and25 Cforup to14dwithout signiÞcant reduction in fecundity after release.