Life history traits of the parasitoid Anisopteromalus calandrae (Hymenoptera: Pteromalidae) on three beetle hosts

Abstract

Anisopteromalus calandrae (Howard) (Hymenoptera: Pteromalidae) is a wasp biocontrol agent used against larvae and pupae of coleopteran pests in warehouse settings. The objectives of this study were to assess the life history and life table parameters of A. calandrae reared on three coleopteran pests: Acanthoscelides obtectus (Say), Callosobruchus chinensis (L.), and Lasioderma serricorne (F.). The results suggest that host species identity influenced the developmental duration, fecundity, and body size of A. calandrae. When reared on L. serricorne, the parasitoid's pre-adult period was the shortest (15.68 d), but it had the highest female adult longevity (31.79 d) and fecundity (162.04 progeny per female). Higher values of net reproductive rate (R0), intrinsic rate (r), and finite rate (λ) of A. calandrae were also recorded for its population reared on L. serricorne. Further, the L. serricorne host enabled A. calandrae females to attain a larger body size (2.59 mm) than those reared on A. obtectus (2.44 mm) or C. chinensis (2.48 mm). Our results demonstrated that, in comparison with A. obtectus and C. chinensis, the most suitable host for A. calandrae is L. serricorne. The implications of our results for biological control of these three host pests are discussed.