Frédéric Muratori PhD

University of Hawaii at Manoa
Plant and Environmental Protection Sciences
Kauai Agricultural Research Center
7370 Kuamoo Rd., Kapaa, HI 96746

Tel: 808-822-4984 x.229
Fax: 808-822-2190
 muratori@hawaii.edu

  
     

Professional Record

 

2007 - present

Post-doctoral researcher, Junior Entomologist, UH (USA)

 

2006 - 2007

 Post doctoral researcher, UCL (Belgium) - SOLAPHID project: Developement of artificial diet for aphid natural enemies.

 

2002 - 2006

 PhD, Faculty of Bio-engineering, Agronomy and Environment, UCL (Belgium) Thesis: Recognition of host cuticular factors and consequences on the patch foraging behaviour by Aphidius rhopalosiphi (Hymenoptera: Aphidiinae). Chemical and behavioural ecology

 

1999 - 2002

Research assistant, Ecology and biogeography, UCL (Belgium) - Goal: Development of artificial diets for aphid parasitoids

 

1993 - 1999

Engineer in agronomy, UCL (Belgium) (section: general agronomy) Thesis: “Dispersal and host shift ability of aphid parasitoids”

 
 

Research Interests

I am interested in the adaptive value of behaviour in the host/parasitoid relationship. The main question I try to address is: How do insects maximize their fitness via the optimization of their behaviour?  In this framework, my researches focus on the various behavioural mechanisms that have evolved among the different aphid parasitoid families.

Current project

My current work deals with the study of life history traits of a dipteran parasitoid of aphids, Endaphis maculans (Diptera: Cecidomyiidae). Very little information is available for this endoparasitoid species. We would like to address questions regarding host discrimination and patch egg/time allocation by this species and compare these features to the more extensively studied hymenopteran aphid parasitoids.

Publications

Muratori, F., A. Le Ralec, G. Lognay & Th. Hance, 2006. Epicuticular factors involved in host recognition for the aphid parasitoid Aphidius rhopalosiphi. Journal of Chemical Ecology 32(2): 579-593

 

Muratori F., D. Perremans & Th. Hance, 2005. Rubidium marking of Aphidius rhopalosiphi (Hymenoptera: Braconidae) on Sitobion avenae (Hemiptera: Aphididae) reared on a diet supplemented with RbCl. European Journal of Entomology 102(3): 489-494

 

Muratori, F., J. Le Lannic, J.-P. Nénon & Th. Hance, 2004. Larval morphology and development of Aphidius rhopalosiphi (Hymenoptera: Braconidae: Aphidiinae) The Canadian Entomologist 136: 169-180

Membership

Behavioural ecology of insect parasitoids (BEPAR – ESF – http://bepar.sophia.inra.fr/)