Ceranisus

Walker, 1841

Ceranisus is a of minute in the . are solitary larval of (), with females laying within early larval of their . The genus has received attention for its potential in of agricultural thrips pests, including Thrips tabaci, occidentalis, and F. intonsa. Strains collected worldwide show variation in biology and based on geographic origin and phenotypic appearance.

Ceranisus americensis by (c) Elliott Gordon, some rights reserved (CC BY), uploaded by Elliott Gordon. Used under a CC-BY license.

Pronunciation

How to pronounce Ceranisus: //sɛˈrænɪsəs//

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Identification

Ceranisus are distinguished from other -attacking by characteristics of the entedonine , including reduced and specific antennal segmentation patterns. Specific identification to species level requires examination of male and other microscopic morphological features.

Images

Habitat

Agricultural , particularly systems where pests occur; associated with plants of thrips including tomato, , and various vegetables and ornamentals.

Distribution

Records from North America (California, Maryland, New York, Ontario), Europe (Canary Islands), and worldwide distribution corresponding to ranges.

Host Associations

Thrips tabaci - onion , major agricultural pest
Frankliniella occidentalis - western , preferred with higher
Frankliniella intonsa - slower development and lower compared to F. occidentalis
Frankliniella schultzei -
Thrips palmi -

Life Cycle

Solitary larval development. Females lay within early larval of ; develop inside host and kill it. Development is synchronized with host larval development and temperature-dependent. Pupal duration shows marked variation at 20°C and 25°C. Development is faster on western than on F. intonsa.

Behavior

acceptance depends on host larval stage, size, and movement. First are preferred hosts. As host size increases, fewer are attacked and successfully parasitized. strains produce more offspring than strains but show greater variation in developmental time.

Ecological Role

agent of pests in agricultural systems. that reduces pest ; multiple releases may be needed to control populations of western or F. intonsa.

Human Relevance

Used and evaluated as a agent in () systems for control on tomato and other . Methyl anthranilate has been identified as an for C. menes and may be useful for or enhancing activity.

Similar Taxa

Other Entedoninae generaSimilar reduced and antennal structure; distinguished by specific male and microscopic morphological features

More Details

Strain variation

Strains of Ceranisus menes collected worldwide differ in biology and based on phenotypic appearance ( vs. color forms) and geographical origin. Yellow strains are more effective agents, producing more offspring than brown strains.

Reproductive capacity

varies by : approximately 2.5 times higher on western than on F. intonsa. Average production approximately 80 eggs per female under laboratory conditions.

Taxonomic revision

The was revised in 2005 (Triapitsyn, S.V. 2005. Revision of Ceranisus and the related -attacking entedonine genera of the world. African 46: 261-315) and again for the New World (Triapitsyn, S.V. & J.G. Morse. 2005. A review of the species of Ceranisus in the New World. Transactions of the Entomological Society 131: 69-86).