Development of immature stages of Trissolcus plautiae (Hymenoptera: Scelionidae), an egg parasitoid of Plautia crossota stali (Heteroptera: Pentatomidae)

Abstract

Trissolcus plautiae is a solitary and dominant parasitoid of the brown-winged green bug, Plautia crossota stali. The development of immature stages of T. plautiae in the eggs of P. crossota stali at 25°C, 16L-8D and 50 ± 10% RH was investigated. T. plautiae was comfirmed to have three larval instars, and the mandibles were the characteristic of the 1st-instar larvae. The developmental period in males and females was estimated at 16.4 (in hours) and 16.3 in eggs, 40.0 and 39.4 in the 1st instars, 15.8 and 18.5 in the 2nd instars, 48.1 and 57.3 in the 3rd instars, 16.9 and 20.8 in prepupae, and 118.6 and 152.1 in pupae, respectively. The volume of parasitoid eggs reached their maximum 18 h after oviposition, just before hatching. The body length of larvae increased till the end of the 2nd instar, and decreased slightly in the 3rd instar. The egg volume and the body length were not significantly different between males and females of T. plautiae. Adult males first emerged 264 h after oviposition, and females emerged 48 h later than males.