Turkish Journal of Agriculture and Forestry Turk J Agric For (2020) 44: 180-188 http://journals.tubitak.gov.tr/agriculture/ © TÜBİTAK Research Article doi:10.3906/tar-1905-36 Age-specific life tables of Aonidiella aurantii (Maskell) (Hemiptera: Diaspididae) and its parasitoid Aphytis melinus DeBach (Hymenoptera: Aphelinidae) 1,2 3, 1 1 1 Khalid MOHAMMED , İsmail KARACA *, Manjree AGARWAL , James NEWMAN , YongLin REN 1 School of Veterinary and Life Sciences, College of Science, Health, Engineering and Education, Murdoch University, Murdoch, Western Australia 2 Department of Plant Protection, College of Agriculture and Forestry, University of Mosul, Mosul, Nineveh, Iraq 3 Department of Plant Protection, Faculty of Agricultural, Isparta University of Applied Sciences, İsparta, Turkey Received: 11.05.2019 Accepted/Published Online: 30.10.2019 Final Version: 01.04.2020 Abstract: Biological parameters of the California red scale (Aonidiella aurantii [Maskell] [Hemiptera: Diaspididae]) were determined under laboratory conditions at 3 different temperatures (20, 23, and 27 °C) on butternut squash (Cucurbita moschata Duchesne ex Lamarck) (Cucurbitaceae), while the biological parameters of its parasitoid Aphytis melinus DeBach (Hymenoptera: Aphelinidae) were conducted at 27 °C. The survival ofA. aurantii ranged between 80.0% and 88.3%. The highest mortality was recorded during the adult stage, with mortalities ranging between 12% and 20%. On C. moschata, the total development time was 93.1 ± 9.73, 81.8 ± 7.13, and 65.7 ± 6.37 days, while the adult longevity was 54.65 ± 0.71, 47.05 ± 0.97, and 39.35 ± 1.07 days at 20, 23, and 27 °C, respectively. The oviposition period of A. aurantii was 44.3 ± 0.51, 40.65 ± 0.41, and 34.5 ± 0.45 days at 20, 23, and 27 °C, respectively. Average fecundity was 73.25 ± 1.827, 109.7 ± 3.569, and 129.35 ± 4.564 individuals at 20, 23, and 27 °C, respectively. For A. melinus, adult longevity was 19.24 ± 0.73 days, and average fecundity 62.7 ± 2.81 eggs at 27 °C. The preoviposition period was 0.82 ± 0.05 days, oviposition period was 15.7 ± 0.52 days, and postoviposition period was 2.21 ± 0.09 days. The intrinsic rate of increase (rm) of A. melinus (0.188 ♀/♀/day) was significantly greater than that of A. aurantii (0.080) at 27 °C. These laboratory results demonstrated that A. melinus is an effective parasitoid for decreasing A. aurantii populations. Fecundity of A. aurantii and A. melinus was determined with the Enkegaard equation. The best-fit parameters of fecundity were calculated as a = 0.410, b = 0.099; a = 0.624, b = 0.098; a = 0.661, b = 0.091; a = 1.190, b = 0.179 for A. aurantii at 20, 23, and 27 °C, and A. melinus at 27 °C, respectively. Key words: Aphytis melinus, biological control, California red scale, life table, population ecology 1. Introduction crops such as fruit trees and ornamental plants all over the Australia has an important role in citrus (Citrus spp., world, and cause heavy damage to the plants. Individual Rutaceae) production in the world, and this production has species infest leaves, fruits, branches, main stems, trunks, increased (FAO, 2017). Many pest species such as Ceratitis and roots. They are distributed throughout the world except capitata (Wiedemann) (Diptera: Tephritidae), Aonidiella in the cold extremes of the Arctic and Antarctic regions aurantii, Sasseita oleae (Gomez-Menor Ortega) (Hemiptera: (Miller, 2005). California red scale Aonidiella aurantii is one Coccidae), Toxoptera citricada (Kirkaldy) (Hemiptera: of the most important pests infesting citrus trees in different Aphididae), Phyllocnistis citrella Stainton (Lepidoptera: parts of the world (Garcerá et al., 2008; Badary and Abd- Gracillaridae), et al. were observed in WA (Western Rabou, 2010; Hill, 2008; Karaca and Uygun, 1992; Uygun Australia) citrus orchards (Sonia, 2006). Growers have et al., 1995). California red scale feeds on various parts of followed various methods to avoid damage caused by these host plants, such as twigs, leaves, and fruit (Beardsley and pests. Biological control is one of these methods (FAO, 2017; Gonzalez, 1975), harming them by inserting its mouthparts Pekas, 2011a; Uygun and Satar, 2008). There are 32 species deep into plant tissue and sucking sap from parenchyma in the genus Aonidiella Berlese & Leonardi, which is a genus cells and injecting toxic saliva into the plants during the of scale insects in the family of Diaspididae (Hemiptera), feeding process. Severe infestations of the scale cause leaf the armoured scale insects (Ben-Dov, 2006). California red drop, defoliation, and dieback of twigs and branches. Young scale Aonidiella aurantii (Maskell) occurs on numerous trees may die out in the absence of effective control (Hely et host plants throughout the world. They attack different al., 1982; Smith et al., 1997). * Correspondence: [email protected] 180 This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License. MOHAMMED et al. / Turk J Agric For The control of A. aurantii has encountered many insectary (Adelaide, Australia). Aphytis melinus adults difficulties, which has raised interest in alternative control used in the experiments were reared following the method methods (Vacas et al., 2010). Aonidiella aurantii has developed by Opp and Luck (1986) for rearing A. melinus numerous predators and parasitoids (Hely et al., 1982; in the climate chamber (26 °C, 40%–60% RH, L16 : D8 Forster et. al., 1995). Among the parasitoids that feed photoperiod). This method is commonly used to produce on A. aurantii, Aphytis melinus DeBach (Hymenoptera: these insects in commercial insectaries. The production Aphelinidae) is known to be relatively important (Erler method is based on rearing the pest A. aurantii on and Tunç, 2001). It was introduced into Australia in 1961 butternut squash. When the host reached the third instar, from the University of California, Riverside (Furness et al., which is the preferred age for the parasitoid to laid eggs 1983; Malipatil et al., 2000). It is now widely distributed in and maximise progeny production, the infested squash the citrus orchards of Victoria, South Australia, Western with third instar scales was exposed to releases of 2-day- Australia, and the inland New South Wales citrus districts, old adult parasitoids (male and female) in a ventilated cage and in Alice Springs in the Northern Territory (Smith (30 cm W × 30 cm H × cm D) with honey distributed on et al., 1997). Aphytis melinus is commercially reared for plastic trays. Adult parasitoids emerged 11–14 days later. release in citrus orchards to control A. aurantii (Grafton- Parasitoids thus produced participated in the experiments Cardwell et al., 2006). Regarding parasitoids, females are 1 day after emergence. more important to produce, because they are responsible 2.2. Survival, longevity, and fecundity of Aonidiella aurantii for parasitising the host (via oviposition and host-feeding) Uniform groups of A. aurantii were obtained by leaving and, thus, keep the pest’s population under an economic butternut squash undisturbed for 24 h in the A. aurantii threshold. A plethora of experiments have been conducted colony maintained in the insect culture room at Murdoch to determine the environmental conditions which best University. These squashes were then removed from the contribute to increases in the production of females (Ode colony, and each 10 randomly selected settled crawlers and Hardy, 2008). (those with the stylet inserted into the fruit and already For the success of crop protection programs, it is forming the waxy cover) were enclosed by a micro plastic essential to know some biological information about the cage (small plastic thimble, 3 cm diameter with fine pest. This information can be obtained by constructing holes on its top) affixed with the help of modelling clay a life table providing how different mortality factors act to the surface of the butternut squash. The squash fruit in sequence on the successive developmental stages. The and nymphs were marked to track them throughout the intrinsic rate of increase (rm) is of value as the mean of experiment. describing the potential growth of population under given An age-specific life table of A. aurantii was constructed climatic and food conditions; it is an important parameter at 3 different constant temperatures (20, 23, and 27 °C). in inductive strategic and management models of pest The infested fruits were kept in a ventilated polystyrene populations (Abou Hatab, 1999; Bayoumy et al., 2009). Few box (30 cm × 30 cm × 30 cm). Each treatment of 2 squash studies have been conducted on the biological parameters fruits (6 replicates) were kept on a plastic tray in identical of the California red scale and its parasitoid A. melinus climate cabinets (HWS Ningbu Southeast Equipment (Heimpel, 1997; Badary and Abd-Rabou, 2010). Therefore, Co. Ltd., China) in which the experiment was conducted the aims of the present work were to simultaneously under controlled climatic conditions (20, 23, and 27 °C, 65 study the life history and behaviour of A. aurantii and its ± 5% RH, and L16 : D8 photoperiod). The development parasitoid A. melinus at 3 constant temperatures (20, 23, of the individuals of A. aurantii was observed daily using and 27 °C) under laboratory conditions. a stereomicroscope (×20) until the death of the adult females, and the following observations were recorded. 2. Materials and methods 2.3. Survival, longevity, and fecundity of Aphytis melinus 2.1. Rearing of Aonidiella aurantii and Aphytis melinus Newly emerged adult parasitoids were shifted to an Agilent Specimens of A. aurantii were initially collected in the field glass vial (1.5 mL). The vial was then plugged with a cotton in 2016 from a population of A. aurantii in a citrus orchard bung. A drop of honey was supplied for each vial. After located in WA (32.30°S, 116.01°E; 69 m AMSL), Australia.