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Biology and distribution of microbe‐associated thelytokous populations of aphid parasitoids (Hym., Braconidae, Aphidiinae)
Author(s) -
Starý P.
Publication year - 1999
Publication title -
journal of applied entomology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.795
H-Index - 60
eISSN - 1439-0418
pISSN - 0931-2048
DOI - 10.1046/j.1439-0418.1999.00345.x
Subject(s) - biology , braconidae , aphid , host (biology) , parthenogenesis , parasitoid , ecology , botany , aphis , zoology , embryo , microbiology and biotechnology
Some phenomena of the biology and ecology of the microbe ( Wolbachia )‐associated thelytokous populations of aphid parasitoids are presented for the first time. Thelytokous virgin females were found to refuse the mating attempts by males of biparental populations, although males occurred quite rarely among the offspring. The host range was found to be about identical in conspecific biparental and thelytokous populations, whereas the association of solely biparental populations with a certain host group might be considered as a marker of the presence of sibling species in the area. The relative frequency of conspecific biparental and thelytokous populations varied, depending upon the area and host species. The microbe‐induced thelytokous populations were confirmed in three species of the genus Lysiphlebus Foerst. ( Lysiphlebus cardui Marsh., Lysiphlebus confusus Tremblay and Eady, Lysiphlebus fabarum Marsh.) and probably some other, as yet undescribed, species only in the West Palearctic subregion, whereas the other known congeneric species in the subregion as well as in the Nearctic and the Neotropical regions were determined as strictly biparental species. Microbe‐induced thelytokous populations did not change due to host species alternation and/or distribution area (purposeful introductions as biocontrol agents).