Influence of Host Quality and Temperature on the Biology of Diaeretiella rapae (Hymenoptera: Braconidae, Aphidiinae).

Biological features of Diaeretiella rapae (McIntosh), an aphid parasitoid, are conditioned by temperature and host. However, studies of host quality changes due to temperature adaptability have not been performed previously. Therefore, this study evaluated the adaptability of Lipaphis pseudobrassicae (Davis) and Myzus persicae (Sulzer) to high temperature, high temperature effect on their quality as hosts for D. rapae, and on parasitoid's thermal threshold. Aphid development, survivorship, fecundity, and longevity were compared at 19 °C and 28 °C. Host quality in different temperatures was determined through evaluation of parasitoid biology. Thermal threshold of D. rapae was determined using development time data. At 28 °C, development time, rate of immature survival, and total fecundity rates were greater in L. pseudobrassicae than in M. persicae. Development time of D. rapae in L. pseudobrassicae was shorter than that in M. persicae at 28 °C and 31 °C for females and at 31 °C for males. The thermal threshold of D. rapae was 6.38 °C and 3.33 °C for females and 4.45 °C and 3.63 °C for males developed on L. pseudobrassicae and M. persicae, respectively. Diaeretiella rapae size gain was greater in L. pseudobrassicae than that in M. persicae at 25 °C and 28 °C. Lipaphis pseudobrassicae showed better adaptation than M. persicae to elevated temperatures, which resulted in a better quality host for D. rapae at temperatures of 28 °C and 31 °C and a higher lower thermal threshold when the parasitoid developed within L. pseudobrassicae. The host's adaptation to high temperatures is a determinant of host quality for the parasitoid at that same climatic condition.