Abstract Poinciana looper, Pericyma cruegeri (Butler) (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) is an endemic Australasian defoliator of iconic Poinciana (Delonix regia) trees. Poincianas, despite being exotic, are of significant urban value in subtropical and tropical Australia for their attractive form, flamboyant blooms and popular utility as shade and amenity trees. Poinciana looper larvae can cause extensive defoliation, reduced flowering, and become a nuisance to residents as caterpillars drop from trees, while in an urban setting, chemical control options are limited. The suitability of P. cruegeri eggs as a host for the commercially-available egg parasitoids Trichogramma carverae, Trichogramma pretiosum and Trichogramma nr. finiculatum was evaluated to determine their potential as augmentative biological control agents. One female of each of these Trichogramma species was exposed to ten P. cruegeri eggs and left for one hour to oviposit. The suitability of looper eggs as a host for each wasp species was measured by time for initial host acceptance, subsequent development time, emergence rates, egg mortality and sex ratios. All three Trichogramma species successfully utilised P. cruegeri eggs as hosts, causing an average 58 % reduction in P. cruegeri larval emergence. Female wasps generally accepted P. cruegeri eggs within one minute of introduction, and this did not differ between parasitoid species. Development time differed significantly between all three species, with T. pretiosum emerging after 14 days, and T. carverae requiring 18 days for development. Significantly more T. nr. finiculatum emerged compared with the other two species, partially due to multiple wasps emerging per host egg. P. cruegeri is a suitable host for all three Trichogramma species, but further research is required prior to embarking on a biocontrol program using these species.

中文翻译：

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赤眼蜂属 作为 Poinciana looper、Pericyma cruegeri (Butler)（鳞翅目：夜蛾科）的潜在增强生物防治剂

摘要 Poinciana looper Pericyma cruegeri (Butler) (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) 是澳大利亚特有的标志性 Poinciana (Delonix regia) 树的落叶者。尽管具有异国情调，但在亚热带和热带澳大利亚，凤凰木具有重要的城市价值，因为它们具有迷人的形态、艳丽的花朵以及作为遮荫和宜人树木的流行用途。Poinciana 活钩虫幼虫会导致大面积落叶、开花减少，并由于毛毛虫从树上掉下来而对居民造成滋扰，而在城市环境中，化学控制选择有限。P. cruegeri 卵作为市售卵寄生物 Trichogramma carverae、Trichogramma pretiosum 和 Trichogramma nr 的适宜性。对 finiculatum 进行评估以确定它们作为增强生物防治剂的潜力。这些 Trichogramma 物种中的每一种的一名雌性暴露于十个 P. cruegeri 卵并放置一小时以排卵。通过初始宿主接受时间、随后的发育时间、出苗率、卵死亡率和性别比来衡量钩虫卵作为每种黄蜂物种的宿主的适宜性。所有三个 Trichogramma 物种都成功地利用 P. cruegeri 卵作为宿主，导致 P. cruegeri 幼虫出现平均减少 58%。雌性黄蜂通常在引入后一分钟内接受 P. cruegeri 卵，这在寄生物种之间没有差异。所有三个物种之间的发育时间显着不同，T. pretiosum 在 14 天后出现，T. carverae 需要 18 天才能发育。明显更多 T. nr. 与其他两个物种相比，有花穗出现了，部分原因是每个寄主卵出现多只黄蜂。P. cruegeri 是所有三种 Trichogramma 物种的合适宿主，但在使用这些物种开始生物防治计划之前需要进一步研究。