DOI: 10.5061/dryad.3r2280gnt
title: Effects of temperature on reproduction and development of Cyanopterus ninghais (Hymenoptera: Braconidae), a larval parasitoid of Monochamus alternatus (Coleoptera: Cerambycidae)

description: Cyanopterus ninghais (Hymenoptera: Braconidae), a newly discovered
 gregarious ectoparasitoid, is a promising biological control agent against
 the third-fifth instar larvae of the Japanese pine sawyer, Monochamus
 alternatus (Coleoptera: Cerambycidae). Effects of constant ambient
 temperatures (17, 20, 23, 26, 29, and 32 ℃) on the reproduction and
 development of the parasitoid were determined in the laboratory. We
 investigated the reproductive parameters of C. ninghais, including the
 pre-oviposition period, parasitism rate, offspring number, emergence rate,
 and sex ratio, at these six temperatures using 4th-instar larvae of M.
 alternatus as hosts, and the developmental duration of each developmental
 stage (egg, larva, and pupa) and generation at six temperatures was also
 measured. The pre-oviposition periods of C. ninghais decreased gradually
 with increasing temperatures. Both the parasitism rates and the number of
 offspring exhibited a parabolic trend in relation to increasing
 temperatures. Temperature did not significantly affect the emergence rate
 and sex ratio of progeny. The duration of each developmental stage was
 inversely correlated with temperature within the range of 20 to 32 ℃. We
 concluded that temperatures in the range of 26 to 29 ℃ are the most
 suitable for the development and reproduction of C. ninghais. These
 findings provide important information for improving the artificial
 rearing efficiency and field release of this parasitoid under different
 temperature conditions.
description: Cyanopterus ninghais (Hymenoptera: Braconidae), a newly discovered
 gregarious ectoparasitoid, is a promising biological control agent against
 the third-fifth instar larvae of the Japanese pine sawyer, Monochamus
 alternatus (Coleoptera: Cerambycidae). Effects of constant ambient
 temperatures (17, 20, 23, 26, 29, and 32 ℃) on the reproduction and
 development of the parasitoid were determined in the laboratory. We
 investigated the reproductive parameters of C. ninghais, including the
 pre-oviposition period, parasitism rate, offspring number, emergence rate,
 and sex ratio, at these six temperatures using 4th-instar larvae of M.
 alternatus as hosts, and the developmental duration of each developmental
 stage (egg, larva, and pupa) and generation at six temperatures was also
 measured. The pre-oviposition periods of C. ninghais decreased gradually
 with increasing temperatures. Both the parasitism rates and the number of
 offspring exhibited a parabolic trend in relation to increasing
 temperatures. Temperature did not significantly affect the emergence rate
 and sex ratio of progeny. The duration of each developmental stage was
 inversely correlated with temperature within the range of 20 to 32 ℃. We
 concluded that temperatures in the range of 26 to 29 ℃ are the most
 suitable for development and reproduction of C. ninghais. These findings
 provide important information for improving the artificial rearing
 efficiency and field release of this parasitoid under different
 temperature conditions. This readme file describes the data files
 associated the above publication. For any further queries please contact
 The following files are included: 1\)
 "Pre-oviposition period at different temperatures.xlsx" This is
 the original dataset on the pre-oviposition period of Cyanopterus ninghais
 at different temperatures. The explanation and main results are included
 in the manuscript, section "Materials and Methods" and
 "Figure 1". 2\) "Parasitism rate.xlsx" This is the
 original dataset on the number of hosts, the number of hosts parasitized,
 and parasitism rate of Cyanopterus ninghais at different temperatures. The
 explanation and main results are included in the manuscript, section
 "Materials and Methods" and "Figure 1". 3\)
 "Offspring number and sex ratio.xlsx" This is the original
 dataset on the number of cocoons, the number of adults emerged, emergence
 rate, number of females, and percentage of female of Cyanopterus ninghais
 at different temperatures. The explanation and main results are included
 in the manuscript, section "Materials and Methods" and
 "Figure 2". ''-'' indicates that although
 parasitoid cocoons were present, no adult parasitoids emerged from the
 parasitoid-exposed hosts at 17 °C. 4\) "Durations of each
 developmental stage.xlsx" This is the original dataset on the
 durations of each developmental stage of Cyanopterus ninghais at different
 temperatures. The explanation and main results are included in the
 manuscript, section "Materials and Methods", "Figure
 3", "Table 1", and "Table 2".
 ''-'' indicates that although parasitoid cocoons were
 present, no adult parasitoids emerged from the parasitoid-exposed hosts at
 17 °C.