Biology of Brachymeria kamijoi Habu (Hymenoptera: Chalcididae), a pupal parasitoid of the coconut black-headed caterpillar, Opisina arenosella Walker (Lepidoptera: Xyloryctidae)

Abstract

The coconut black-headed caterpillar, Opisina arenosella Walker (Lepidoptera: Xyloryctidae) has been one of the most serious defoliators of coconut plants in Vietnam. Brachymeria kamijoi Habu (Hymenoptera: Chalcididae) is a pupal parasitoid of O. arenosella with high percent parasitism and abundance in the coconut fields and appears to be a good biological control agent against the coconut black-headed caterpillar in Vietnam. This study was carried out at Entomology Laboratory, Faculty of Agronomy, Nong Lam University, Vietnam during 2020 – 2021 to determine some biological characteristics of B. kamijoi on O. arenosella at a constant temperature of 28 oC and a photoperiod of 12L: 8D. Total developmental time from egg to adult emergence was 13.8 days. The females laid a mean of 98.1 eggs during an average lifespan of 30.7 days. Fecundity peaked at a large range of age 7 -29 days. The results would contribute to the knowledge of the biology of B. kamijoi to optimize a mass-rearing system for a biological control programme against O. arenosella.