Biological Control of Insect Pests: Southeast Asian Prospects - EcoPort

Biology of important natural enemies
4.15 Planococcus citri 311
Anagyrus pseudococci Hym.: Encyrtidae
This is a solitary endoparasite of 2nd, 3rd and 4th instar mealybugs, but
prefers 3rd instar and egg-laying females. It is believed to be native to the
Mediterranean. A. pseudococci has been known since 1913 in Italy as a
widespread parasitoid of P. citri and, in Israel, attacking both P. citri and
Pseudococcus citriculus (Rivnay 1960; Rosen 1964). It is common on
P. citri in Argentina (Compere 1939). In the laboratory it develops
successfully on Pseudococcus fragilis, P. longispinus and P. obscurus.
Females lay about 45 eggs at the rate of 3 to 4 per day. In the laboratory
these hatch in 44 hours at 27¡C and the life cycle takes 17 to 18 days (Bartlett
1978) or 15.5 days at 25.6¡C and 60% RH for a Californian strain, which
also had a life span of 8.2 days for virgin and 6.9 days for mated females.
Virgin females produce males. A. pseudococci is most active in the spring
and autumn (Domenichini 1952; Avidov et al. 1967; Rivnay 1968; Chandler
et al. 1980).
Progeny production increased and longevity decreased with increase in
temperature between 18¡ and 30¡C (Tingle and Copland 1989). Most
progeny are produced between 27¡ and 30¡C and the threshold for
development is 13.06¡C for males and 12.57¡C for females (Islam and Jahan
1993). In the laboratory maximum egg production was achieved when 50%
honey solution was provided (Islam and Jahan 1992, 1993). Oviposition
behaviour is described by Islam (1992). About 40% of parasitoid eggs laid in
P. citri may be lost due to encapsulation (Blumberg et al. 1995). In
Argentina, larvae of A. pseudococci are attacked by the hyperparasitoid
Coccophagus heteropneusticus (Compere 1939).
Coccidoxenoides peregrinus Hym.: Encyrtidae
This parasitoid, earlier widely known as Pauridia peregrina, is probably
native to southern China (Bartlett 1978), although Meyerdirk et al. (1978)
suggest that it is indigenous to Texas. It has been reported, inter alia, from
India, Japan, Philippines, Fiji, Hawaii and Uganda. It is a solitary
endoparasitoid of 1st, 2nd and 3rd instar female Planococcus citri and
P. kenyae and 1st and 2nd instar males. It is normally parthenogenetic, but
there are rare males. In Uganda it parasitises P. kenyae (Armitage 1920;
Essig 1931) and, in Peru P. citri (Beingolea 1969). In India it completed its
development only in P. citri, although it attacked other mealybugs
(Krishnamoorthy and Mani 1989a).
Females commence oviposition shortly after emergence, and continue
for about 2 days. At 27¡C larval development takes 11 to 12 days and the
pupal stage 16 to 18 days (Zinna 1960; Fisher 1963). However, in India,