LARVAL AND PUPAL PARASITISM OF THE FOREST TENT CATERPILLAR, MALACOSOMA DISSTRIA HÜBNER (LEPIDOPTERA: LASIOCAMPIDAE), IN ALBERTA, CANADA

Larval and pupal parasitoids were studied from collections made in endemic, outbreak, and post-outbreak populations of forest tent caterpillar (FTC), Malacosoma disstria, at 21 sites in Alberta, Canada, from 1989 to 1994. The parasitoid complex included 18 identified species. Aleiodes malacosomatos (Mason) (Hymenoptera: Braconidae) was common in low density populations and was the only species to attack FTC larvae prior to the fourth instar. Leschenaultia exul (Townsend) (Diptera: Tachinidae) was the most abundant larval parasitoid in endemic populations and after the 2nd year of outbreak. Although prevalent early in outbreaks, Patelloa pachypyga (Aldrich and Webber) (Diptera: Tachinidae) declined in older outbreaks possibly because it completes larval development later than other tachinids, leaving it vulnerable to competition from aggressive pupal parasitoids. I hypothesize that early initiation of oviposition allows L. exul to be more successful than P. pachypyga in low density populations because caterpillars have dispersed before the latter species initiates oviposition. I recorded lower pupal parasitism by Arachnidomyia aldrichi (Parker) (Diptera: Sarcophagidae) in Alberta than has been recorded in other regions, although it was still the most abundant parasitoid reared in this study. Parasitism by A. aldrichi was significantly higher in cocoons collected from undergrowth vegetation than from the forest canopy. Other pupal parasitoids contributed relatively little to FTC mortality.