Download parasitoids and predators of insects

Read first parts (taxonomy) of Chs 3 and 4)
PARASITOIDS AND
PREDATORS OF INSECTS
‰ definition
‰ terms
‰ main families
Important Families of Parasitoids
HYMENOPTERA
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
Scelionidae
Encyrtidae
Pteromalidae
Braconidae
Chalcididae
Aphelinidae
Eulophidae
8. Trichogrammatidae
9. Mymaridae
10. Ichneumonidae
11. Aphidiidae
DIPTERA
1. Tachinidae
2. Phoridae
#1
HYMENOPTERA
Scelionidae
All eggs parasitoids
Here, a Telenomus
species attacking
cassava hornworm egg
#2 HYMENOPTERA Encrytidae
Attack mealybugs and many others groups. Epidinocarsis
diversicornis host feeding on cassava mealybug, Phenacoccus herreni
Encrytidae
Comperia merceti, a specialized parasitoid of brown
banded cockroach egg cases
See use of
antennae to
investigate
chemicals on
surface of
ooethecae
Encyrtidae Tetrastichus julii, an introduced parasitoid of cereal
leaf beetle, Oulema melanopus
See ovipositor
being inserted
# 3 HYMENOPTERA Pteromalidae
Parasitoids of many groups, including pupae, larvae of muscoid flies
Sphegigaster sp.
# 4 HYMENTOPERA Braconidae
Parasitoids of aphids, caterpillars, and for one subfamily, the
Euphorinae, adult insects; here, the euphorine Microctonus
aethiopoides attacks an adult alfalfa weevil.
Note the point of oviposition
Gregarious parasitoids
Larvae of a gregarious braconid parasitoid emerging from a host
Solitary parasitoids (one progeny per host)
The braconid Cotesia
rubecula
The ichneumonid Diadema
insularis inside net bag of host
#5 HYMENOPTERA
Family feature is
greatly enlarged
hind femur
Chalcididae
Hyperparasitism
attack of one parasitoid on
another.
Here, Conura torvina
oviposits into larvae of
Costesia rubecula inside its
cocoon.
Chalcididae
Brachymeria intermedia attacks a gypsy moth. This
is a pupal parasitoid, an internal parasitoid and an idiobiont
See enlarged femur
#6 HYMENOPTERA
Aphelinidae.
Hypera postica, the
alfalfa weevil, an
invasive insect from
Europe
Host Feeding- Coccobius sp. female kills a host (CA red scale,
Aonidiella aurantii) and drinks it fluids as a protein source.
Host Feeding
After ovipositor insertion, the scale bleeds hemolymph
Host Feeding-Lunch is served, the female turns and drinks the
host fluid from the scale
Hypera postica, the
alfalfa weevil, an
invasive insect from
Europe
Aphelinidae
Encarsia formosa, a whitefly parasitoid
#7 HYMENOPTERA Eulophidae
Sympiesis marylandensis, a native parasitoid of the apple blotch
leafminer (Phyllonorycter crataegella)
Host feeding– a killed larva of a Phyllonorycter leafmining
gracillariid moth killed by the eulophid Sympiesis marylandensis
See dried host fluid
bonding larva to upper
skin of leaf mine
(opened for photo)
Polyembryony- when one egg shakes apart into hundreds of
clones and each develops as a separate, genetically identical larva.
mud dabber
pupae parasitized
by a chalcid
Two styles of parasitoids
Idiobionts
Koinobionts
• attack eggs, pupae or
• permit their hosts to
adults, which cannot
continue to grow after
grow
oviposition, increasing
the resource for
• Also, external parasitoids,
progeny
as these kill their hosts
• Internal pupal and adult • Larval and nymphal
parasitoids
parasitoids face immune
counterattack, but
• Must defeat host
external parasitoids and
immune system
egg parasitoids do not.
Koinobionts- larval or nymphal internal parasitoids
See the white larva
inside caterpillar
Pieris rapae larvae.
The left one is
parasitizied by an
internal parasitoid,
Cotesia rubecula.
External parasitoids (here, the eulophid Sympiesis marylandensis on
Phyllonorycter crataegella) are idiobionts,
but so are egg, pupal, and adult internal parasitoids
Leafminer
caterpillar
Parasitoid
larva
Encapsulation
Some Epidinocarsis diversicornis eggs are encapsulated by its host
mealybug Phenacoccus herreni
Dark bodies in
host are
encapsulated
parasitoid eggs
See use of antennae to
investigate the host
#8 HYMENOPTERA Trichogrammatidae
Trichogramma minutum examining the eggs of spruce budworm
#9 HYMENOPTERA Mymaridae
Anaphes flavipes, a parasitoid of cereal leaf beetle
Note hairy wings,
characteristics of many
groups of minute
insects
# 10 HYMENOPTERA Ichneumonidae
Campoplex frustrana, a parasitoid of Nantucket pine tip moth
Hypera postica, the
alfalfa weevil, an
invasive insect from
Europe
Ichneumonidae
Diadegma insulare, a parasitoid of larvae of diamondback moth
Hypera postica, the
alfalfa weevil, an
invasive insect from
Europe
Braconidae
Cotesia melanoscela, a parasitoid of gypsy moth larvae
Hypera postica, the
alfalfa weevil, an
invasive insect from
Europe
Braconidae
Cocoon of Cotesia melanoscela, a parasitoid of gypsy moth larvae
Hypera postica, the
alfalfa weevil, an
invasive insect from
Europe
# 11 HYMENOPTERA Aphidiidae
A group of braconids specialized as aphid parasitoids. See the
distinctive braconid oviposition stance.
Hypera postica, the
alfalfa weevil, an
invasive insect from
Europe
Aphidiidae
Aphid parasitoids turn
aphids into mummies. Upon
emergence, mummies
remain with distinctive
parasitoid emergence holes
Chrysididae- social parasitoids of bee brood. Note the
iridescence and heavily sculptured armor. They can roll up in a
defensive ball when attacked in a bees’ nest
Hypera postica, the
alfalfa weevil, an
invasive insect from
Europe
Tiphiididae-parasitoids of scaraebiid larvae in soil
Hypera postica, the
alfalfa weevil, an
invasive insect from
Europe
#1 DIPTERA Tachinidae
A large family of all parasitoids. Here, a species of Myopharus
investigating a Colorado potato beetle larva
Visual hunters,
tachinids respond to
prey movement
Tachinidae-some lay large external eggs (here on tent
caterpillar); others scatter small eggs on foliage; others larvaposit
egg
Tachinidae-fly larva emerged from a gypsy moth pupa
Puparia of tachinid
# 2 DIPTERA Phoridae- flies that attack ants
Phoridae- flies attack foraging ants, disrupting food collection
Phoridae- flies oviposit in the head of worker ants
Phoridae-as parasitoid larvae mature, the ant head comes off
Phoridae-larvae develop, pupate and emerge from the separated
head, hence the name “decapitating flies”
Predator Orders/families
1. Dermaptera
2. Thysanoptera
3. Hemiptera
(Anthocoridiae, Miridae,
Nabidae, Lygaeidae,
Pentatomidae)
4. Neuroptera (Chrysoptera,
Conopterigidae)
5. Coleoptera
(Coccinellidae, Carabidae,
Staphylinidae, Histeridae,
Cleridae)
6. Diptera (Cecidomyiidae,
Syrphidae)
7. Hymenoptera (Formicidae)
8. Acari (Phytoseiidae, other
mite familes)
9. Aranae (spiders-many
families)
10. Snails
11. Vertebrates
Order #1 Dermaptera (earwigs)
Minor predators of various soft bodied insects
Order #2
Thysanoptera
(thrips)
A mostly herbivorous
order with some
predaceous groups
Order #3 Hemiptera (true bugs +Homoptera)
Family Anthocoridae (minute pirate bugs)
Important predators of thrips and other pests in field
crops and greenhouses
Orius bugs, nymphs on left, adult on right
Hemiptera: Anthocoridae: Orius nymph feeding on an aphid
Hemiptera: Miridae:
predaceous plant bug feeding on an lacebug
Hemiptera: Nabidae: feeding on aphid
(Hemiptera: Lygaeidae)
big-eyed bug (Geocoris)
feeding on whitefly
Hemiptera: Pentatomidae: Podisus sp., stinkbug feeding on
larva of Colorado potato beetle
Order #4 Neuroptera: Chrysopidae
Chrysoperla larvae eating an aphid
Green lacewing eggs are supported on stocks to reduced egg
consumption by early hatching larvae
Neuroptera:
Hemerobiidae
Brown lacewings are
smaller but with similar
habits to green
lacewings, except that
they are found in wooded
areas.
Order #5 Coleoptera (beetles)
Family Coccinellidae (Ladybird beetles) A large family (ca 700
species in North America) with predacious adults and larvae, usually
either of interest in relation to aphids or scales as target pests
Coleoptera: Coccinellidae: ladybird beetle larvae and aphids
Coleoptera: Carabidae: ground beetle adults and larvae are
usually generalist ground-dwelling predators
Coleoptera: Carabidae: larvae are also predaceous
Note wings do not
cover abdomen
Coleoptera:
Staphylinidae
another family of ground
dwelling generalist
predators
Coleoptera: Histeridae: Teretrius nigrescens (left),
released in Africa for control of
larger grain borer, Prostephanus truncatus (right)
Coleoptera: Cleridae: predators of bark beetle larvae
Note scale patterns on elytra. Don’t confuse with Dermestidae
Order #6 Diptera
Family Cecidomyiidae: predaceous midge adult (larvae only
are predators, or aphids and mites)
Diptera: Cecidomyiidae
predaceous midge larvae with aphid prey
Diptera: Syrphidae
Larvae are predaceous, mostly on aphid prey
Diptera: Syphidae
Egg of syphid fly
Diptera: Syrphidae
Larvae are predaceous, mostly on aphid prey
Order #7 Hymenoptera
Formicidae (ants)Ants are numerous as species and
individuals, forage aggressively and many are predaceous
Hymenoptera: Vespidae
Wasps, hornets, yellow jackets forage for prey to feed their young.
Some are social, others are solitary but may nest in aggregations
Group #8 Acari (mites)
Family Phytoseiidae. Predaceous mites are predaceous.
(here, Amblyseius sp.) are important for mite control.
Group #9 Snails
Some snails are predators of
herbivorous snails, but many
are generalist and may be
dangerous to move more to new
areas, as attack many occur on
nontarget native snails. Here,
the snail Rumina decollata
attacks the brown garden snail,
Helix aspersa, in California
Group #10 Spiders
Spiders are generalists, selecting prey by size and habitat
Group #11 Vertebrates(bird, mammals, fish,
reptiles, amphibians)
No vertebrates should be
introduced to areas outside
their historical range, as
non target impacts are
likely due to flexible feeding
behavior. Some species,
such as this BARN OWL
may be usefully conserved
by habitat or nest box
manipulation to increase
predation locally where
desired