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Abstract

A series of experiments were conducted to develop a meridic diet for adults of the West Indian sweetpotato weevil, Euscepes postfasciatus, by modifing the diet for larvae of E. postfasciatus developed by Shimoji and Kohama (1996b). Adult weevils were reared at 26°C, 70% RH, under 14L10D photoperiodic conditions. Within the range of KOH doses tested (0–0.107 mol/l), as the KOH dose was increased in the diet, hatchability of the eggs laid increased and longevity of females decreased. The pH of water in the diet did not affect longevity, fecundity and hatchability, even though the diet containing acid water (pH 2.7) resulted in a higher number of hatched offspring than the other diets containing distilled water (pH 6.0), mineral water (pH 9.0) and alkaline water (pH 11.1). Constituents of the tentatively developed diet were 50 g sweetpotato powder, 20 g agar, 20 g sucrose, 12 g casein, 10 g powdered cellulose, 5 g yeast extract, 2.5 g Vanderzant vitamine mixture, 1.5 g Wesson's salts, 2.99 g KOH, 1 g sorbic acid, 1 g methyl paraben, 0.4 g cholesterol, 0.2 g chloramphenicol, and 500 ml acid water.