Abstract: The biology and mass rearing technique of a newly discovered ectoparasitoid Sclerodermus pupariae Yang et Yao were studied by laboratory determination combined with field investigation. The results indicated that S. pupariae is an important ecto-parasitoid of prepupa, pupa and larva of emerald ash borer (EAB), Agrilus planipennis Fairmaire (Coleoptera: Buprestidae), with the natural parasitic rate as high as about 10%. The wasp has five generations per year in Tianjin, with generations overlapping heavily. The life spane of the wasp adults was about a month with high fecundity, and could oviposit several times. The experiment showed that the development threshold temperature for its egg, larva, pupa and the whole generation were 16.89℃±0.79℃, 17.03℃±1.42℃, 16.90℃±1.68℃ and 15.31℃±0.47℃, respectively. The effective accumulated temperatures for those stages were (33.82±4.13) degree-day, (49.11±7.93) degree-day, (128.88±27.87) degree-day and (277.00±14.15) degree-day, respectively. The female wasps could be stored under low temperature safely without influence on their host-searching and host-attacking abilities. The substitute hosts for mass rearing of the parasitoid can be obtained easily. Thus, it could be used as an important natural enemy for the biological control of the buprestid pest.

Key words: Sclerodermus pupariae, Agrilus planipennis, biology, biological control, effective accumulated temperature, mass rearing