Genetic Variability of Some Biological and Morphological Characters in Lixophaga diatraeae (Diptera: Tachinidae)

Genetic variability was compared in a laboratory strain of Lixophaga diatraeae and a newly collected strain from Cuba. Five characteristics were analyzed: larval and pupal developmental durations and pupal length, diameter, and weight. The comparison of the within- and between-family variances by variance analyses showed that the Cuban strain was generally more variable than the laboratory strain. Thus, the latter strain shows a lower genetic variability probably proceeding from a genetic drift or bottlenecks. Heritability computations by the parent-child regression method also revealed some differences in the genetic variability of the two strains. Pupal length was selected in a Cuban strain for eight generations. An obvious differentiation was obtained between the low and the high selected lines. Such a selection could be used to improve biological control results.