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Abstract
The main biological attributes of two Neotropical egg parasitoids, the arrhenotokous Trichogramma nerudai and the thelytokous Trichogramma sp., were assessed under controlled laboratory conditions. Developmental time from egg to adult, and parasitoid survival, fecundity and fertility were studied using life tables. Results showed that T. nerudai had a faster developmental time than Trichogramma sp. (13.014±0.4019 and 13.595±0.4931 days, respectively). Both species showed similar life table statistics, r m was 0.222 and 0.225 for T. nerudai and Trichogramma sp., respectively. Parasitoid survival averaged 95% for both species. The results obtained are discussed in the context of selecting one of these natural enemies as a potential biological control agent for the European pine shoot moth Rhyacionia buoliana (Lepidoptera: Tortricidae) in pine forests and the codling moth Cydia pomonella (Lepidoptera: Tortricidae) in apple orchards in Argentina.
The authors are grateful to Dr. Sheriff Hassan for his valuable comments on earlier versions of the paper, to Dr. Stepahnie Bloem for her valuable contribution with the MS and the English improvements and to Mrs. E. Favret for helping in the preparation of the MS. We also acknowledge the referees suggestions on the MS. This work was supported with funds from a PFD PIA 11/98 (SAGPyA) grant.
