Preimaginal development, adult longevity and fecundity of Encarsia inaron (Hym: Aphelinidae) parasitizing Siphoninus phillyreae (Hom: Aleyrodidae) in California

A laboratory study of preimaginal development, adult longevity and fecundity of Encarsia inaron (Walker) was conducted. Preimaginal developmental times varied with temperature, from 55-60 d at 15 +/- 1 degrees C to 14-17 d at 30 +/- 1 degrees C. No development took place at 10 degrees C, which was approximately the developmental minimum estimated from regression analysis of developmental rates vs. temperature in the range 15-30 degrees C. Development was slowed and survival was reduced at 32 degrees C. Females lived an average of 18.6 days and laid an average of 159 eggs/female at 25 degrees C. At 25 degrees C, average preimaginal survival was 59.3%, and the sex ratio was 73.5% female. The net reproductive rate (R(0)) for E. inaron calculated from these studies was 69.3, while the intrinsic rate of natural increase was 0.1686 individuals per individual per day. Oviposition was concentrated slightly in third instar nymphs of the host.