Monday, December 11, 2006 - 9:11 AM
0253

Heat-induced gynandromorph production and sex ratio variation in the Wolbachia-infected parasitoid Trichogramma kaykai Stouthamer & Pinto (Hymenoptera: Trichogrammatidae)

Genet M. Tulgetske, gtulg001@ucr.edu and Richard Stouthamer, richard.stouthamer@ucr.edu. University of California - Riverside, Department of Entomology, Riverside, CA

Asexual populations of Trichogramma infected with Parthenogenesis Inducing (PI) Wolbachia normally produce exclusively female offspring. However, these parasitoid wasps can produce males and gynandromorphs when exposed to elevated rearing temperatures during late larval/early pupal development. To produce a high ratio of males and gynandromorphs while minimizing mortality, virgin and mated asexual Trichogramma kaykai Pinto & Stouthamer were reared at 30.5˚ C. Patterns of gynandromorphic characters were investigated with respect to their degree, combination, and distribution. In addition, patterns in sex ratio change were also determined. Flow cytometric analysis of nervous tissue was used to determine the ploidy level of the gynandromorphs. The heads of adults with various combinations of male and female characters were analyzed, including those with completely male heads and female bodies. The analysis showed that the tissue was diploid, despite the presence of phenotypically male characters. Investigation into the heat-induced formation of gynandromorphic individuals may yield better insights into the mechanisms by which Wolbachia manipulate host sex determination and provide an ideal system for studying sex determination in the parasitoids.


Species 1: Hymenoptera Trichogrammatidae Trichogramma kaykai
Species 2: Rickettsiales Rickettsiaceae Wolbachia pipientis

[ Recorded presentation ] Recorded presentation