Abstract
The pentatomid bug, Andrallus spinidens (F.), is a polyphagous predator on lepidopteran larvae in crop fields in southern Japan. The basic life history biology of the bug was studied using a laboratory incubator with temperature set at 25°C. The nymphs were reared in Petri dishes in groups of 10 and were fed on the 3rd–5th instar Spodoptera litura larvae. The mean development period from egg to adult was 32 d. The pre-oviposition period lasted 7 to 8 d, after which eggs were laid in batches every 2–3 d. The mean number of eggs per mass was 75.4 and the mean total number of eggs laid by each female was 499. The net reproductive-rate (R0), mean generation time (T) and intrinsic rate of natural increase (r) were 153.8, 49.8 d and 0.101/d/female, respectively. Groups of 10 nymphs attacked 4–8 of the 3rd–5th instar S. litura larvae per day. Pairs of adult pentatomids killed 3–5 of the 5th instar S. litura larvae weighing 450–550 mg each day. This study provides important life history information for using the predator A. spinidens as a possible biological control agent.
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