Sagarra, L.A., Vincent, C., & Stewart, R.K. 2002 Impact of mating on Anagyrus kamali Moursi (Hym., Encyrtidae) lifetime fecundity, reproductive longevity, progeny emergence and sex ratio.. Journal of Applied Entomology 126(7-8): 400-404.
Notes: The solitary endoparasitoid Anagyrus kamali Moursi (Hym., Encyrtidae) and the Hibiscus mealybug Maconellicoccus hirsutus Green (Hom., Pseudococcidae), were used as a parasite/host model to test the effect of mating on several fitness parameters, i.e. longevity, lifetime fecundity, progeny emergence and sex ratio. At 27 +- 2degreeC, 8 h light : 16 h dark, mating significantly affected the survival of male parasitoids. Virgin males lived longer (32.2 +- 9.51 days) than mated males (23.9 +- 7.52 days). Female longevity (40.7 +- 16.3 days for virgins and 36.2 +- 10.7 days for mated females) was not affected by mating. The lifetime fecundity of female parasitoids and their oviposition period was not significantly affected by mating. However, the number of hosts parasitized was greater for mated wasps (7.54 +- 4.85 hosts parasitized/day) compared with virgin ones (5.12 +- 2.19 hosts parasitized/day). This resulted in greater progeny production from mated A. kamali females. The progeny of virgin females consisted only of males, whereas the mated ones had a more female-biased sex ratio. The lowest sex ratio (0.41 M/F +- 0.123) was attained when females had free access to males and were multi-mated.