POPULATION DYNAMICS OF AONIDIELLA ORIENTALIS (NEWSTEAD) (COCCOIDEA: DIASPIDIDAE) AND ITS PARASITOID HABROLEPIS ASPIDIOTI COMPERE & ANNECKE (HYMENOPTERA: ENCYRTIDAE)

Abstract

POPULATION DYNAMICS OF AONIDIELLA ORIENTALIS (NEWSTEAD) (COCCOIDEA: DIASPIDIDAE) AND ITS

PARASITOID HABROLEPIS ASPIDIOTI COMPERE & ANNECKE (HYMENOPTERA: ENCYRTIDAE).

An experiment was carried out at Giza governorate, Egypt, between Aug. 1995 and Aug. 1997 to study the fluctuation and seasonal abundance of Aonidiella orientalis and its parasitoid Habrolepis aspidioti on Ficus nitida trees. A brief description of the parasitoid is given. The populations of A. orientalis in both years showed three distinct peaks during the summer, whilst the parasitoid probably had four. The effect of such climatic factors as temperature, relative humidity, photoperiod, dew point and wind velocity were also studied and the size of the populations of both the scale and the parasitoid appeared to be correlated with many of them.

Key words: biocontrol, citrus, meteorological conditions, ecology, oriental scale, host range, Chrysomphalus aonidum, Aonidiella aurantii, Habrolepis rouxi.