Egg maturation in an invasive gall wasp, Dryocosmus kuriphilus (Hymenoptera: Cynipidae): An experimental test of the pro-ovigenic and facultatively synovigenic hypotheses

There are two hypotheses on egg maturation in the invasive chestnut gall wasp, Dryocosmus kuriphilus Yasumatsu (Hymenoptera: Cynipidae). That it is pro-ovigenic (most or all of its potential lifetime complement mature upon emergence) facultatively synovigenic (not eggs fully developed emergence and may be resorbed when suitable hosts absent). These were tested by determining effects adult age food (honey) D. wasps with no access to host plants. Egg load (the number per female) neither increased nor decreased presence absence honey deprived findings support hypothesis. Some during cynipoid parasitoids even without hosts, but inducer, kuriphilus, pro-ovigenic, probably due abundance buds available for oviposition under natural conditions. In addition competition resources, thelytokous reproduction, unintentional introduction infested trees escape from host-specific introduced countries, pro-ovigeny a high has presumably resulted becoming global pest chestnuts. addition, body length, mesosomal metasomal lengths widths, hind femoral tibial as well width this wasp also measured. was variation width, other measurements positively correlated load. Large females had higher loads than small females.