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Courtship and mating behaviour in the parasitoid wasp Cotesia urabae (Hymenoptera: Braconidae): mate location and the influence of competition and body size on male mating success

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  15 December 2016

G.A. Avila ,
T.M. Withers  and
G.I. Holwell
G.A. Avila*
Affiliation:
The New Zealand Institute for Plant & Food Research Limited, Mt Albert, Private Bag 92169, Auckland 1142, New Zealand Better Border Biosecurity, New Zealand
T.M. Withers
Affiliation:
Better Border Biosecurity, New Zealand Scion (New Zealand Forest Research Institute), Private Bag 3020, Rotorua 3046, New Zealand
G.I. Holwell
Affiliation:
School of Biological Sciences, The University of Auckland, Private Bag 92019, Auckland 1142, New Zealand
*
*Author for correspondence Phone: +64 9 925 7198 Fax: +64 9 925 7001 E-mail: gonzalo.avila@plantandfood.co.nz
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Abstract

Cotesia urabae is a solitary larval endoparasitoid that was introduced into New Zealand in 2011 as a classical biological control agent against Uraba lugens. A detailed knowledge of its reproductive biology is required to optimize mass rearing efficiency. In this study, the courtship and mating behaviour of C. urabae is described and investigated from a series of experiments, conducted to understand the factors that influence male mating success. Cotesia urabae males exhibited a high attraction to virgin females but not mated females, whereas females showed no attraction to either virgin or mated males. Male mating success was highest in the presence of a male competitor. Also, the time to mate was shorter and copulation duration was longer when a male competitor was present. Larger male C. urabae had greater mating success than smaller males when paired together with a single female. This knowledge can now be utilized to improve mass rearing methods of C. urabae for the future.

Keywords

mass rearingbiological controlendoparasitoidmate attractionolfactometerwing fanning
Type
Research Papers
Information
Bulletin of Entomological Research , Volume 107 , Issue 4 , August 2017 , pp. 439 - 447
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Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2016 

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