Effects of rearing conditions on the parasitism of Tetrastichus brontispae on its pupal host Octodonta nipae

Abstract

Octodonta nipae (Maulik) (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae) is currently a serious invasive pest of palm plants in southern China. Although previous studies reported that Tetrastichus brontispae Ferriere (Hymenoptera: Eulophidae) could successfully parasitize the pupae of O. nipae, little is known of the potential for T. brontispae to control this pest. To understand the interaction between T. brontispae and O. nipae, the effects of parasitoid feeding regimes, host age and density, parasitoid age and density, and cold storage on the parasitism of T. brontispae were investigated. Our results indicate that a supply of either glucose or sucrose increased the longevity and fecundity of T. brontispae. The parasitoid preferred one-day-old host pupae and its fecundity increased with increasing host or parasitoid female density. Extended cold storage negatively affected the parasitism of T. brontispae. These results demonstrate how to efficiently raise T. brontispae and will contribute to the effective management of O. nipae.