In Vitro Rearing of Lysiphlebus Fabarum (Hym.: Braconidae)

Abstract

'IN VITRO' REARING OF THE APHID ENDOPARASITOID LYSIPHLEBUS FABARUM (MARSHALL) (HYMENOPTERA, BRACONIDAE) WAS ATTEMPTED. SUCCESSFUL PERMANENT CULTURES OF APHIS FABAE SC. AND MYZUS PERSICAE SULZ. CELLS WERE NOT OBTAINED. THEREFORE, PARASITOID LARVAE WERE REARED IN TWO UNNATURAL MEDIA ONE OF WHICH INCLUDED CELLS OF CERATITIS CAPITATA WIED. (DIPTERA, TRYPETIDAE). A GROUP OF LARVAE WAS REARED IN A SUBSTRATE TO WHICH PARASITOID TERATOCYTES HAD BEEN ADDED. SINCE LYSIPHLEBUS FABARUM FEMALES DID NOT OVIPOSIT INTO PARAFFIN DROPLETS IN- CLUDING THE SUBSTRATES, THE LARVAE WERE DIRECTLY TRANSFERRED FROM PARASITIZED APHIDS INTO THE REARING MEDIA. SEVERAL LARVAE REACHED THE FINAL INSTAR, BUT ONLY TWO OUT OF THE 48 TESTED IN THE THREE SUBSTRATES BECAME ADULTS. THE MEANING OF TERATOCYTES IN 'IN VITRO' REARING OF APHIDIINE BRACONIDS IS DISCUS- SED