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File: <cecid1.ima.htm> [For educational purposes only] Terminology Glossary <Principal Natural
Enemy Groups > <Citations> |
Immature Stages
of Cecidomyiidae
Detailed information on immature
stages of Cecidomyiidae is being acquired.
However, Davis (1916) gave an account of Aphidoletes meridionalis
Felt, a predator on several gregarious species of aphids in North
America. The eggs are minute,
measuring only 0.1 mm. long, elongated, oval and orange in color. The younger larvae puncture the host body
from beneath, usually between the legs, while the 1/3rd grown to mature
larvae usually feed at one of the leg articulations (Fig. 159). The cocoon of loose silk is spun either on
the leaf surface among the host remains or on the ground surface. The life cycle takes and average of 18-20
days, with a minimum of 15 days.
Incubation of the egg requires ca. 3 days, larval development 7-11
days, and the pupal stage 6-9 days. In
Isobremia kiefferi Vouk, a predator of
some aphids, which was studied by Voukassovitch (1932a), the eggs are most
often laid in groups of four, and most of them are placed at an angle to the
leaf surface rather than horizontally or vertically. Larval feeding seems to be much more
deliberate than in A. meridionalis; it may take a
period of 24 hrs for 2-3 larvae to suck out the contents of a large
aphid. The host becomes motionless
very quickly after the first feeding puncture is made, and a highly toxic substance
seems to be injected into the body.
Larval development is completed in 4 days. Please CLICK on
picture to view details:
Barnes (1929, 1930) commented on
several species that are internal parasites.
Endaphis perfidus
Kieff. Develops in Drepanosiphum
platanoides Schr. The egg is laid on the dorsum of the
winged aphid, and the newly hatched larva makes its way into the body
cavity. Because the larva has a
reddish color, it can be seen within the living host. When mature it leaves the host to pupate
in the soil. Lal (1934) studied Endopsylla sp., the solitary
internal parasite of Psylla mali Schm, P. pyricola
Foerst, and other species in Scotland.
The egg is oval in form, yellow, and 0.17 X 0.06 mm in size and bears
a minute basal stalk. It is laid on
the wing of the host alongside a vein, and the stalk is embedded in the
membrane. Hatching occurs in 8-13
days, and the young larva crawls to the body and feeds externally for 3-4
days. It then burrows through the
intersegmental membrane and feeds internally for a further 6-10 days. References: Please refer to <biology.ref.htm>, [Additional references may be found at: MELVYL Library ] |
