Hot and cold waves decrease sperm production and bias sex ratio in the parasitoid wasp Cotesia typhae (Hymenoptera, Braconidae).

Parasitoid wasps are haplodiploid, meaning that sperm stored by egg laying females are only used to produce daughters. Thus, the sex ratio of the offspring depends on the availability of sperm after mating. In these insects, males are sensitive to temperature at the pupal stage.

Chromosomal scale assembly of parasitic wasp genome reveals symbiotic virus colonization.

Endogenous viruses form an important proportion of eukaryote genomes and a source of novel functions. How large DNA viruses integrated into a genome evolve when they confer a benefit to their host, however, remains unknown. Bracoviruses are essential for the parasitism success of parasitoid wasps, into whose genomes they integrated ~103 million years ago.

Quantitative trait loci involved in the reproductive success of a parasitoid wasp.

Dissecting the genetic basis of intraspecific variations in life history traits is essential to understand their evolution, notably for potential biocontrol agents. Such variations are observed in the endoparasitoid Cotesia typhae (Hymenoptera: Braconidae), specialized on the pest Sesamia nonagrioides (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae). Previously, we identified two strains of C.

Population genetics of the Mediterranean corn borer (Sesamia nonagrioides) differs between wild and cultivated plants.

The population genetic structure of crop pest populations gives information about their spatial ecology, which helps in designing management strategies. In this paper, we investigated the genetic structure of the Mediterranean Corn Borer (MCB), Sesamia nonagrioides Lefèbvre (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae), one of the most important maize pests in the Mediterranean countries, using microsatellite markers for the first time in this species. Insects were collected in twenty-five locations in southwest and southeast France from cultivated and wild host plants (Zea mays, Sorghum halepense and Typha domingensis).