The egg-larval parasitoid Chelonus oculator Panzer (Hymenoptera: Braconidae) is a solitary endoparasitoid. The effect of superparasitism on the development of C. oculator was investigated on a host, Cadra cautella Walker (Lepidoptera: Pyralidae) at 25 °C, 60%-70% ., and 16:8 h (L:D) photoperiod. | Research Article Turk J Agric For 33 (2009) 463-468 © TÜBİTAK doi: Effect of superparasitism on the development of the solitary parasitoid Chelonus oculator Panzer (Hymenoptera: Braconidae) Hilal TUNCA*, Neşet KILINÇER Ankara University, Agriculture Faculty, Plant Protection Department, Ankara - TURKEY Received: Abstract: The egg-larval parasitoid Chelonus oculator Panzer (Hymenoptera: Braconidae) is a solitary endoparasitoid. The effect of superparasitism on the development of C. oculator was investigated on a host, Cadra cautella Walker (Lepidoptera : Pyralidae) at 25 °C, 60%-70% ., and 16:8 h (L:D) photoperiod. The development time of C. oculator from egg to adult was related to parasitism level from ± days under single parasitism to ± days under triple parasitism. The emergence rate of the parasitoid decreased as the parasitism level increased. In addition, the dry mass of adult parasitoid was significantly affected by the superparasitism. Consequently, for C. oculator developing in the host Cadra cautella, superparasitism has a negative effect on the quality of mass reared Chelonus wasps. Key words: Solitary parasitoid, superparasitism, development, Chelonus oculator, Cadra cautella Süperparazitizmin soliter parazitoit Chelonus oculator Panzer (Hymenoptera: Braconidae)’un gelişimine etkileri Özet: Bir yumurta-larva parazitoiti olan Chelonus oculator Panzer (Hymenoptera: Braconidae) soliter endoparazitoittir. Süperparazitizmin Chelonus oculator’un gelişimine etkileri, konukçusu Cadra cautella Walker (Lepidoptera: Pyralidae) üzerinde 25 °C sıcaklık, % 60-70 orantılı nem ve 16:8 saat (aydınlık:karanlık) koşullarında belirlenmiştir. C. oculator’un yumurtadan ergin dönemine kadar olan gelişme süresi parazitizm derecesiyle ilişkili olup bu süre tek yumurta bırakılan parazitlemede ± gün, üç yumurta bırakılan parazitlemede ise ± gündür. Parazitoitin çıkış oranı parazitleme derecesi arttıkça
