Host diversity and seasonality of Hyalospora hemerobii (Apicomplexa: Eugregarinorida: Hirmocystidae) infections in lacewings
2014
Devetak, Dušan
Lacewings are known as biological control agents, substantially reducing populations of aphids and spider-mites. The study focuses on gregarines parasitizing their brown lacewing hosts. The occurrence of the gregarine species Hyalospora hemerobii Geus, 1969 in brown lacewings (Hemerobiidae) in NE Slovenia was investigated. Seven brown lacewing species were surveyed and in five of them (Hemerobius humulinus, H. micans, H. marginatus, Micromus variegatus and Sympherobius pygmaeus) gregarines were present. Trophozoites, solitary gamonts, associations, syzygies and gametocysts were recognized. In this paper syzygy of H. hemerobii is illustrated for the first time. In some trophozoites the epimerite was present, associations were biassociative and caudofrontal. The occurrence of the parasite in Hemerobius micans was studied in 2011 and 2013. In 2011, gregarines occurred from June to September, and in 2013 from June to October. An infection rate within the range of 10–86.7% was detected. The average number of solitary gregarines per infested host increased progressively, from June to September/October. This is the first investigation of seasonal patterns in the occurrence of any known gregarine species parasitizing Neuropterida.
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