Life-history review of Oobius zahaikevitshi Trjapitzin, 1963 (Hymenoptera: Encyrtidae), an egg parasitoid of jewel beetles (Coleoptera: Buprestidae).

Abstract

The oviposition and immature development were studied for Oobius zahaikevitshi Trjapitzin, 1963 (Hymenoptera, Encyrtidae), an egg parasitoid of a jewel beetle Agrilus suvorovi Obenberger, 1935 on aspen trees. The female first penetrates the protective shield of host eggs with its ovipositor. Then she lays an egg bearing a long aeroscopic plate with widened bulbus at its end. The posterior end of the newly hatched larva is attached to the egg chorion, which is connected by the aeroscopic plate to the host egg. The second-instar larva possesses a distinct tracheal system connected to the aeroscopic plate. The final-instar larva is disconnected from the aeroscopic plate and bears a row of lateral spiracles. The freshly molted pupa of O. zahaikevitshi is pale, but darkens later; the parasitoid overwinters at the pupal stage.