Suitability of Mexican Rice Borer (Lepidoptera: Pyralidae) as a Host for Pediobius furvus (Hymenoptera: Eulophidae)

Abstract

The suitability of Mexican rice borer, Eoreuma loftini (Dyer) as a factitious (nonnatural) host for Pediobius furvus (Gahan) was examined. E. loftini was an acceptable and suitable host for oviposition and development by P. furvus. Both acceptability and suitability were affected by host pupal age. Host acceptability was initially relatively constant, declining rapidly when host pupae reached and surpassed 7 d of age. Suitability of young E. loftini pupae as a host for P. furvus was low (26.0 and 19.9% for 1- and 2-d-old pupae, respectively), increasing to 67.0% for 5-d-old pupae and then declining rapidly. Within-brood survival of parasitoid progeny was affected by both host age and weight with small, young pupae exhibiting lower within-brood survival (approximately 37%). Within-brood survival was highest in 5-d-old E. loftini pupae across all host weights. Progeny production per host increased with host weight. Prepupae of E. loftini were also suitable for parasitism but less so than pupae.