Some biological characteristics of Anagyrus mirzai (Hym., Encyrtidae) on Niipaecoccus viiriidiis ((Hem..,, Pseudococciidae)) in laboratory conditions

The spherical mealybug, Nipaecoccus viridis (Newstead) (Hemiptera, Pseudococcidae), is aserious pest of citrus and other cultural and non-cultural plants in tropical and sub-tropical regions of the world. The damage of the pest increased highly on citrus trees in Fars province in recent years. High reproductive potential and wide distribution the pest and problems of chemical control have led to a greater need for the use of natural enemies as IPM programs. In present investigation, some biological parameters of the encyrtid wasp Anagyrus mirzai Agarwal & Alam, 1959, including developmental time, longevity, reproductive capacity and sex ratio were studied at laboratory conditions, 27±1.5°C, 60±5% RH and 16:8h L:D, on 18 (3rd-instar nymphs) and 24 days old (young adult females) of N. viridis. The developmental time of female parasitoids within the host was 14.40±0.79 and 13.45±0.52 days in 18 and 24 days old nymphs, respectively. For males, the developmental time was 12.65±0.68 and 12.30±0.87 days, respectively. The meanlongevity of female wasps was 14.25±0.78 and 14.70±0.69 days in 18 and 24 days old hosts; for males, this time was 6.40±0.83 and 7.10±0.74 days, respectively. The mean number of offspring per female was 32 and 47 in 18 and 24 d.o. mealybugs. The sex ratio (M/F) of the progeny was 1:1.11 in 18 d.o. and 1:1.33 in 24 d.o. mealybugs. The aggregate percentage of encapsulated eggs in the parasitized 18 d.o. mealybugs was 38.60% and 43.90% in 24 d.o. mealybugs. The percentage of efficient encapsulation was 14.40% and 20.10% in 18 and 21 d.o. mealybugs respectively.