Effects of temperature on reproduction and development of Cyanopterus ninghais (Hymenoptera: Braconidae), a larval parasitoid of Monochamus alternatus (Coleoptera: Cerambycidae)

Cyanopterus ninghais (Hymenoptera: Braconidae), a newly discovered gregarious ectoparasitoid, is a promising biological control agent against the third-fifth instar larvae of the Japanese pine sawyer, Monochamus alternatus (Coleoptera: Cerambycidae). Effects of constant ambient temperatures (17, 20, 23, 26, 29, and 32 ℃) on the reproduction and development of the parasitoid were determined in the laboratory. We investigated the reproductive parameters of C. ninghais, including the pre-oviposition period, parasitism rate, offspring number, emergence rate, and sex ratio, at these six temperatures using 4th-instar larvae of M. alternatus as hosts, and the developmental duration of each developmental stage (egg, larva, and pupa) and generation at six temperatures was also measured. The pre-oviposition periods of C. ninghais decreased gradually with increasing temperatures. Both the parasitism rates and the number of offspring exhibited a parabolic trend in relation to increasing temperature..., , , Cyanopterus ninghais (Hymenoptera: Braconidae), a newly discovered gregarious ectoparasitoid, is a promising biological control agent against the third-fifth instar larvae of the Japanese pine sawyer, Monochamus alternatus (Coleoptera: Cerambycidae). Effects of constant ambient temperatures (17, 20, 23, 26, 29, and 32 ℃) on the reproduction and development of the parasitoid were determined in the laboratory. We investigated the reproductive parameters of C. ninghais, including the pre-oviposition period, parasitism rate, offspring number, emergence rate, and sex ratio, at these six temperatures using 4th-instar larvae of M. alternatus as hosts, and the developmental duration of each developmental stage (egg, larva, and pupa) and generation at six temperatures was also measured. The pre-oviposition periods of C. ninghais decreased gradually with increasing temperatures. Both the parasitism rates and the number of offspring exhibited a parabolic trend in relation to increasing temperature...