Phenology of Spalangia endius Walker (Hymenoptera, Pteromalidae) in pupae of Musca domestica Linnaeus (Diptera, Muscidae) under laboratory conditions

Abstract

Phenology of Spalangia endius Walker (Hymenoptera, Pteromalidae) inpupae of Musca domestica Linnaeus (Diptera, Muscidae) under laboratoryconditions. This work describes the phenology of Spalangia endiusWalker in pupae of Musca domestica Linnaeus under laboratory conditions.In order to understand the developmental cycle of Spalangia endiusunder laboratory conditions, 360 Musca domestica pupae aged from24 to 48 hours were exposed to 15 S. endius pairs for a period of24 hours at 26 +/- 2 degrees C. These pupae were kept in a BOD incubatorat the same temperature, with a relative humidity of >= 70%, and12 hours photophase. Fifteen hymenopteran specimens were dissecteddaily to evaluate their stage and development time. The phenologyconcluded that S. endius had a development cycle of 19 days withan incubation period of 24 hours. The development of the larvae ofS. endius occurred in the subsequent eight days, during which a seriesof morphological alterations were observed. The pre-pupal stage occurredon the tenth day, where the movement ceased and elimination of themeconium started. The pupal stage occurred from the 11th to the 19thday, with emergence of males first, followed by female emergenceapproximately 24 hours later. These results allowed the evaluationof aspects of the detailed bionomics of the development of S. endiusin order to record and program production of this parasitoid, thusoptimizing its utilization as a biological control agent.