INTERACTIONS BETWEEN TWO BACULOVIRUSES AND SEVERAL INSECT PARASITES

Several parasites were surveyed for their ability to develop to pupation in virus-infected hosts. The tachinid Compsilura concinnata (Meigen), the ichneumonids Campoletis sonorensis (Cameron) and Hyposoter exiguae (Viereck), and the braconid Cotesia marginiventris (Cresson) developed to pupation in the armyworm, Pseudaletia unipuncta (Haworth), infected with either the Hawaiian strain of granulosis virus (HGV) or the hypertrophy strain of nuclear polyhedrosis virus (HNPV). The braconid Chelonus insularis Cresson died after its HGV- or HNPV-infected host P. unipuncta died. On the other hand, the braconid Glyptapanteles militaris (Walsh) died in HNPV-infected P. unipuncta before the host died. Some of these parasites had tissues that were melanized and some were encapsulated by the host. The ichneumonid H. exiguae and the braconids Chelonus insularis and Cotesia marginiventris developed to pupation in HGV-infected Spodoptera exigua (Hübner). In some cases, developmental time of parasites in virus-infected hosts was longer than in control hosts.