The Biology of Perilampus hyalinus Say (Hymenoptera: Perilampidae), a Primary Parasite of Neodiprion swainei Midd. (Hymenoptera: Diprionidae) in Quebec, with Descriptions of the Egg and Larval Stages

Abstract

For many years, the specific name, hyalinus, has been used to designate certain Perilampus adults reared from a variety of insects belonging to the orders Lepidoptera, Orthoptera, Hymenoptera, and Diptera. Normally, taxonomists hesitate to classify parasites from such a wide range of hosts under one specific name; but in this case their fears were allayed by the concept that most Perilampus species were strictly hyperparasitic and hence probably preyed upon a narrower range of hosts than indicated by rearing records. The hyperparasitic nature of Perilampus hyalinus Say was established in 1912 by Smith who recovered its immature stages from various primary parasites of the fall webworm, Hyphantria cunea Drury. Smith gave an account of the behaviour of the first-instar planidial stage and came to the conclusion that the species could not develop as a primary parasite of the fall webwom. A hyperparasitic behaviour was demonstrated also for P. tristis Mayr on various primary parasites of the European pine shoot moth, Rhyacionia buoliana (Schiff.) (Bergold and Ripper, 1937). Primary parasitism was shown for P. chrysopa spp. (Clancy, 1946), and for P. italicus F. on the tenthredinid, Athalia colibri Christ. (Martelli, 1932). Nevertheless, the concept of hyperparasitism became generally accepted for most of the genus and discouraged attempts to utilize members of this genus for purposes of biological control of injurious defoliating insects.