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Turkish Journal of Zoology

DOI

10.3906/zoo-1007-25

Abstract

Bracon hebetor Say (Hymenoptera: Braconidae) is a gregarious synovigenic parasitoid that attacks late stage larvae of many important lepidopterous species. The purpose of the current study was to evaluate the influence of 3 constant (18, 25, and 35 °C) and 1 alternating temperature (incubator programmed to vary daily between 18, 25, and 35 °C at 8 h intervals) on protein and lipid amounts of female and male parasitoids. Protein amounts of female parasitoids were highest when exposed to alternating temperature. At all the temperatures tested, 1-day-old males had similar amounts of protein, but 5- and 10-day-old males had higher amounts of protein at alternating temperature than at other temperatures. One-day-old females had slight fluctuations in lipid levels depending upon rearing temperature, but no consistent trend was found resulting in either increasing or decreasing between these values. In 1-day-old males, lipid levels were significantly lower at 18 and 25 °C than at 35 °C and alternating temperatures. B. hebetor adults reared at different temperatures were found to utilize their original lipid reserves during the first 10 days of adult life.

Keywords

Bracon hebetor, temperature, age, protein, lipid

First Page

747

Last Page

753

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