Shih-Yang Lee, Chuan-Cheng Chung, Yi-Hui Wu*

Miaoli District Agricultural Research and Extension Station, Council of Agriculture, Executive Yuan

ABSTRACT

    The litchi stink bug Tessaratoma papillosa is an invasive insect pest that destroys Sapindaceae plants in recent years. In Taiwan, Anastatus japonicus is common native egg parasitoid of the litchi stink bug. In this study, we investigated the adult longevity, number of progeny, female ratio, and number of progeny per week at five different temperatures using Antheraea pernyi eggs as alternative host. The results showed that the highest total numbers of progenies were 562.9 ± 42.0 and 523.6 ± 34.9 at 25°C and 20°C, respectively, with 204.2 ± 18.2 and 331.1 ± 23.9 female progenies, while the extreme temperatures of 15 and 35°C were not favorable for parasitism. The peak production at 20°C was between the 2nd and 6th week, in which the parasitism can continue until the 6th week and the percentage of female ratio remains above 60%. The results of this study provide a reference for the optimal temperature conditions for mass rearing of Ana. japonicus using Ana. pernyi as an alternative host, and can also be a reference for field release at different temperatures to obtain a better biological control of the litchi stink bug.

Keywords: litchi stink bug, alternative host, Antheraea pernyi, Anastatus japonicus, temperature

*Corresponding author email: yhw@mdais.gov.tw