Selección Masal de Pupas de Mayor Talla de Drosophila melanogaster1 Para Reproducir al Parasitoide Trichopria drosophilae2

Abstract

Worldwide, rearing of Trichopria drosophilae (Perkins) (Hymenoptera: Diapriidae) on Drosophila melanogaster Meigen (Diptera: Drosophilidae) (commercial host) is considered more advantageous than using D. suzukii (Matsumura), but D. melanogaster pupae are smaller. To increase the quality of T. drosophilae reproduced in D. melanogaster four populations were combined. From the pooled population a mass selection of larger pupae was made, and various biological parameters of the fly and the parasitoid were measured prior, during, and after mass selection. There were no biological differences in the four initial populations of D. melanogaster. The sizes of the fly and the emerged parasitoids in the selected pupae increased throughout the generations, stabilizing in the generation 15. The parasitoids that emerged from larger pupae were larger and more prolific. These results would allow the production of larger and more prolific parasitoids. The replicability of these mass selection techniques could improve the quality of T. drosophilae in other colonies where D. melanogaster is used.