Tabela de vida de fertilidade e armazenamento de Praon volucre (Haliday) (Hymenoptera: Braconidae, Aphidiinae) em Macrosiphum euphorbiae (Thomas) (Hemiptera: Aphididae)

Abstract

The parasitoid Praon volucre (Haliday) is pointed as a potential biological control agent of aphids belonging to the tribe Macrosiphini. Several aphids in this tribe are important pests in greenhouses in Brazil. The objective of this study was to estimate the biological parameters and fertility of P. volucre on the aphid Macrosiphum euphorbiae (Thomas), and to evaluate the effect of different storage periods in biological and physiological parameters of the parasitoid. Colonies of M. euphorbiae were offered daily to 24h old female of the parasitoid P. volucre, till the death of them, to determine the fertility life table. One-day-old mummies of M. euphorbiae, containing pre-pupae of P. volucre, were kept in four storage periods, 5, 10, 15 and 20 days, in a climatic chamber at 5 °C and constant scotophase. The parasitoid showed a net reproductive rate (R0) 179,9 females, intrinsic rate of increase (rm) 0,274 females / female / day, finite rate of increase (λ) 1,32 females per day, the average time between generations of the parasitoid (T) 18,9 days and the population doubling (TD) of 2,52 weeks. The survival rate, flight activity and number of eggs in the ovarioles of P. volucre females were reduced with increasing storage period. The loss mass increased with increasing storage time. The fat body mass and fat contends on the mummies showed a linear decrease with increasing storage period. The parasitoid P. volucre showed a potential population growth when using M. euphorbiae as host and its pupae storage for up to 10 days can facilitate both the mass production and the use in biological control programs of M. euphorbiae.