Pyralidae Research Articles

A new species of the genus Toccolosida Walker, 1863 from India(Lepidoptera: Pyralidae: Pyralinae).

The genus Toccolosida Walker, 1863 is a member of the Pyralini tribe of the subfamily Pyralinae in the family Pyralidae. It was described as a monotypic genus for Toccolosida rubriceps Walker, 1863 from Sikkim. Snellen (1890, 1892) described two additional species of Toccolosida, T. pallifrons Snellen, 1890 from Sikkim and T. bilinealis Snellen, 1892 from Indonesia and Java. Hampson (1896) erected a new genus Proteinia Hampson, 1896 for T. pallifrons. In 1899, Snellen described another species, T. subolivalis Snellen, 1899 from Indonesia, Sumatra and Padang. Robinson et al. (1994) included two species, T. rubriceps and T. bilinealis, in their account on South East Asian moths and stated that Toccolosida contains 8+ [described as well as undescribed] species from the Indo-Australian region and 6+ species from South East Asia. However, at present the valid Toccolosida species are only three: T. rubriceps, T. bilinealis and T. subolivalis, whereas pallifrons is currently placed in Proteinia (Nuss et al. 2003-2019; pers. comm. Dr. Richard Mally, University Museum of Bergen, Natural History Collections, Bergen, Norway).

МАТЕРИАЛЫ К ПОЗНАНИЮ ФАУНЫ ОГНЕВОК (LEPIDOPTERA, PYRALOIDEA) ОСТРОВА БОРНЕО С ОПИСАНИЯМИ ДВУХ НОВЫХ ВИДОВ

The paper reports the outcomes of two expeditions to the island of Borneo organised by the Nizhny Novgorod branch of the Russian Entomological Society. Based on the materials the expeditions collected, 117 species of Pyraloid moths were listed; 15 of these are new to the studied fauna (Hypsopygia nitidicilialis, Loryma recusata, Stericta divitalis, Thyridiphora gilva, Cirrhochrista annulifera, C. histricalis, Piletocera meekii, Cangetta haematera, Omiodes decisalis, O. nigriscripta, Coptobasis mesospectralis, Polythlipta cerealis, P. maceratalis, Nausinoe perspectata and Notarcha aurolinealis) and 2 species are new to science. The new species are: Cirrhochrista milada Korb, sp. n. and Paracymoriza platon Korb, sp. n. (type locality: Indonesia, Borneo, Sabah, Tambunan vicinity near Crocker Range National Park).

Warming at the population level: Effects on age structure, density, and generation cycles.

The impact of climate change on strongly age‐structured populations is poorly understood, despite the central role of temperature in determining developmental rates in ectotherms. Here we examine the effect of warming and its interactions with resource availability on the population dynamics of the pyralid moth Plodia interpunctella, populations of which normally show generation cycles, a consequence of strong and asymmetric age‐related competition. Warming by 3°C above the standard culture temperature led to substantial changes in population density, age structure, and population dynamics. Adult populations were some 50% larger in warmed populations, probably because the reduced fecundity associated with warming leads to reduced larval competition, allowing more larvae to develop to adulthood. Warming also interacted with resource availability to alter population dynamics, with the generation cycles typical of this species breaking down in the 30° populations when standard laboratory diet was provided but not when a reduced nutrient poor diet was used. Warming by 6° led to either rapid extinction or the persistence of populations at low densities for the duration of the experiment. We conclude that even moderate warming can have considerable effects on population structure and dynamics, potentially leading to complete changes in dynamics in some cases. These results are particularly relevant given the large number of economically important species that exhibit generation cycling, in many cases arising from similar mechanisms to those operating in P. interpunctella.

Leopards and giants, tigers and woolly bears: casting a broader net in exploring heparin effects on Lepidoptera wing patterns

Background: Studies of heparin effects on Lepidoptera wing patterns have been restricted to a small number of species. I report observations from experiments on a broader range of taxa, including first results from swallowtails, tiger moths and microlepidoptera. Methods: Heparin injections were made in prepupal and early pupal stages of the following species representing several Lepidoptera lineages: Junonia coenia, Agraulis vanillae, Asterocampa clyton (Nymphalidae); Heraclides cresphontes, Pterourus troilus, Eurytides marcellus (Papilionidae); Hypercompe scribonia, Estigmene acrea, Hyphantria cunea (Erebidae); and Glyphodes sibillalis (Crambidae). Heparin-induced changes in wing pattern are illustrated, and advantages of using prepupal vs. pupal stages for this type of pharmacological manipulation of wing patterns are discussed. Results: In buckeyes, heparin-induced changes consisted of loss of orange parafocal elements as marginal and submarginal bands shifted basally. In gulf fritillaries, changes in black and silver markings were similar to those found in wild aberrant individuals. In tawny emperor, intermediate and extreme levels of transformation were achieved, pointing to homology of this species’ unusual eyespots to those of other nymphalids. In swallowtails, heparin-induced changes were much more restricted and proved harder to achieve, possibly indicating higher levels of stability and compartmentalization of wing patterns in this butterfly family. In tiger moths, elongation of black markings occurred so that normally distinct spots sometimes merged; in leopard moth, these changes were restricted to areas adjacent to discal spot. In pyraloid moth, changes were mostly restricted to expansion of wing marginal bands and hindwing border. Conclusions: Variation in wing pattern response to heparin found between different species and families in this study warrants further taxonomic widening of exploration of wing pattern formation mechanisms in Lepidoptera. While there are many similarities, there also seem to be very significant differences in the ways wing patterns are formed in different families of butterflies and moths.

Fumigant toxicity of Haplophyllum tuberculatum (Rutaceae) and Nepeta crispa (Lamiaceae) on the Indian meal moth

The insecticidal activity of essential oil vapors of Haplophyllum tuberculatum (Sapindales: Rutaceae) and Nepeta crispa (Lamiales: Lamiaceae) were evaluated on third instar larvae of Plodia interpunctella (Lepidoptera: Pyralidae) as one of the major insect pests of stored products. Essential oils of the plants were obtained using Clevenger-type water distillation. GC-MS analyses of the oils demonstrated that the main compounds of H. tuberculatum were ρ-menth-2-en-1-ol-cis (20.15 %), ρ-menth-2-en-1-ol-trans (16.92 %), trans-Piperitol (13.23 %), Piperitone (7.34 %) and cis-Piperitol (6.72 %). It is an important plant that has many medicinal properties. 1,8- Cineole (32.98 %), s-Pinene (8.70 %), 4aa,7a,7aa-Nepetalactone (8.08 %) and 4as,7a,7as-Nepetalactone (6.1 %) were detected as the predominant component in N. crispa. The aerial parts of that are used in traditional medicine. The LC50 values were estimated after 24 hours for H. tuberculatum and N. crispa as 4.301 and 5.579 µl L-1 air, respectively. LC50 values were projected using probit analysis. Results on H. tuberculatum showed more toxicity against the Indian meal moth compared to the N. crispa. In conclusion, the essential oil of the two plants could have potential for application to stored grain and agricultural commodities to control of stored crop pests in IPM programs.

Efficiency of ozone gas treatment against Plodia interpunctella (Hübner) (Lepidoptera:Pyralidae) (Indianmeal Moth) in hazelnut: Poster

In this study, ozone gas at different concentrations (16.7, 33.3 and 66.6 mg/L) were exposed to all biological stages (egg, larva, pupa and adult) placed at top and bottom of the hazelnut for various exposure periods (2, 4 and 6 hours). In biological tests conducted in presence of hazelnuts, 100% mortalities of all biological stages of P. interpunctella placed at top of the commodity were obtained at tested ozone concentrations and exposure periods while it was easier to kill the adult and pupa stages that the larva and egg stages. While it was possible to kill 100% of the adults and pupae placed at bottom of the commodity at tested ozone concentrations and exposure periods, 100% mortality of the larvae and eggs were not obtained at any of the ozone treatments. Generally, the mortalities of all life stages of P. interpunctella placed at bottom of the commodity for ozone treatments were lower than those placed at top of the commodity. It was easy to kill the pupae and adults of P. interpunctella placed at bottom of the commodity while the ozone treatments resulted in low mortalities of the egg and larvae placed at bottom of the commodity. Just as 100% mortalities of the larva and adult stages were not obtained even at the highest ozone concentration for the longest exposure period. In conclusion, in this study, it was observed that ozone gas only at high concentrations can control all biological stages of P. interpunctella in hazelnut and therefore could have an alternative potential for methyl bromide in quarantine applications in short application period.

High quality genomic resources for stored product insects

The expansion of genomic resources for stored product insects has largely been hampered by cost, time required for inbreeding, and technical issues that can arise during genome assembly from pooling multiple individuals together for DNA isolation and library preparation. However, newer library methods, such as 10X Chromium libraries, largely overcome these issues in that sufficient DNA can be recovered from a single individual for library prep and allelic variants are assembled as separate phase blocks, eliminating the need for inbreeding. Using 10X Chromium libraries coupled with 150 x 150 bp HiSeqX sequencing to a depth of at least 60X coverage, we are developing high quality draft genome assemblies for eight different stored product insect species, including Dermestidae (Trogoderma variabile, Trogoderma granarium, and Dermestes maculatus), Tenebrionidae (Tribolium confusum), Anobiidae (Lasioderma serricorne and Stegobium paniceum), Bostrichidae (Prostephanus truncatus), and Pyralidae (Plodia interpunctella). Overall, BUSCO (Benchmarking Using Single Copy Orthologs) scores exceeded 95% in all assemblies with few fragmented or duplicated genes, suggesting a high quality assembly of the gene space. Further, scaffold N50s exceeded 1 Mb in many cases and further improvements to these scaffolding metrics will be made using linkage maps and Hi-C libraries. Overall, this approach will yield high quality assemblies for eight different insects and could be used to quickly and efficiently generate draft assemblies of invasive or emerging stored product pests.

Parasitism of single or combined pyralid populations by Venturia canescens and Habrobracon hebetor in laboratory and storeroom conditions

Venturia canescens and Habrobracon hebetor are cosmopolitan parasitoids found in large numbers in food processing facilities in northeastern Spain and in many other countries. These parasitoids attack larvae of pyralid moths, which are important pests of stored products and food industries worldwide. In this study, we evaluated the performance of these two parasitoids when offered single or combined populations of Plodia interpunctella and Ephestia kuehniella, since these can occur together in storehouses. We tested the parasitoid’s performance in small cages under laboratory conditions and small experimental storerooms (≈ 30 m3). In the laboratory, the two parasitoids were able to reduce pyralid populations by more than 37% over a 48-h period (40–44% for E. kuehniella, 37–41% of P. interpunctella and 53–55% of both hosts when offered together). Similar results were obtained in small storerooms after 10 days: a > 35% reduction in pyralid populations also was obtained when host species were offered either singly (E. kuehniella or P. interpunctella) or in combination (E. kuehniella + P. interpunctella) (35–57% for E. kuehniella, 40–54% of P. interpunctella and 41–46% of both hosts when offered together). Parasitism was consistently good from June through November (mean temperatures from 18 to 28 °C and 9.5 to 15 h of daylight). Therefore, both parasitoids, single or in combination, can be efficient biological control agents of these two pyralid moths when infesting stored food facilities.

Effect of Cold Storage on Development of Habrobracon hebetor (Say) (Braconidae: Hymenoptera) Reared on Corcyra cephalonica Stainton (Lepidoptera: Pyralidae)

Habrobracon hebetor has been investigated as a successful biological control agent for larvae of pyralid moths in warehouses. Gaining new information on how to improve the storage procedure of H. hebetor under cold conditions could allow the development of approaches to maintain this parasitoid in pest management programs. This study investigated the effect of cold temperatures (10 and 15 °C) on the development of H. hebetor pupae reared on Corcyra cephalonica, which was kept for up to 3 weeks. Mortality of H. hebetor pupae during cold storage in all treatments was 4 - 19 %. Mortality of H. hebetor adults emerging during cold storage at 10 °C (28 %) and 15 °C (61 %) was significantly observed at 21 days of storage, while other treatments were less than 4 %. Numbers of emerging adults after cold storage from 7 - 14 days were 89 - 96 %, and the female percentage ranged from 13 - 39 %. The number of eggs laid per female from the emerging females after cold storage for 7 - 14 days was not significant as compared to the control treatment (43 - 53 eggs per female) after laying for 72 h. The sex ratios of emerging adults in all cold storages and the control treatment at 72 h after emerging were not significant.

Study the morphological charactertics and the effect of foods on development and growth of Ostrinia furnacalis (Guenee, 1854) (Lepidoptera: Pyralidae)

The effects of foods on the life cycle, survival rate, and reproductive ability of Ostrinia furnacalis (Guenee, 1854) were studied in laboratory.
 Maize HN88-Fed O. furnacalis had a complete life cycle of 32.9 ± 1.7 days, which was 38.4 ± 1.5 days shorter than those fed with maize LVN4. The average survival rates of O. furnacalis on two types of feeds were 97.5% and 94.4%, respectively.
 When O. furnacalis were fed with 100% honey or 50% sugar or water, the average length of female life cycle as well as their everage laid egg number were 11.1 ± 0.9 days and 535.2 ± 77.2 eggs/female; 9.9 ± 0.8 days and 371.7 ± 47.4 eggs/female; 7.3 ± 0.6 days and 216 ± 32.6 eggs/female, respectively.
 Keywords
 The effect of foods on Ostrinia furnacalis
 References
 Đặng Thị Dung (2003). Một số dẫn liệu về sâu đục thân ngô (Ostrinia furnacalis Guenee) Pyralidae-Lepidoptera trong vụ xuân 2003 tại Gia Lâm, Hà Nội, Tạp chí BVTV số 6, tr 7-12.[2]. Patanakamjorn Somporn (1975). Biology of the tropical corn borer, Ostrinia furnacalis (Guenee) inrelation to host plant resistance research. Retrospective Theses and Dissertations. 5435 [3]. Đặng Xuân Hưng (2010). Nghiên cứu một số đặc điểm sinh học, sinh thái của sâu đục thân ngô Ostrinia furnacalis Guenee và biện pháp phòng chống vụ đông 2009 và hè thu 2010 tại Gia Lâm, Hà Nội. Luận văn Thạc sỹ Nông nghiệp, Trường Đại học Nông nghiệp Hà Nội 75 trang.11/2010. [4]. Yoshio Hirai and Danilo M. Legacion (1985). Improvement of the Mass Rearing Techniques for the Asiatic Corn Borer, Ostrinia furnacalis (Guenee), in the Philippines. Japan Agricultural Research Quarterly (JARQ) Vol. 19, No. 3, 1985

Aquatic Larvae of Two Acentropines, Usingeriessa onyxalis (Hampson) and Oxyelophila callista (Forbes) (Lepidoptera: Crambidae)

Pyraloid moths in the subfamily Acentropinae have developmental stages that are aquatic, they live and breathe underwater during all or part of their life cycle. We discovered and describe the previously unknown larvae of Usingeriessa onyxalis (Hampson) (Crambidae) reared on Hygrophila polysperma (Roxb.) T. Anderson (Acanthaceae) and Eleocharis sp. (Cyperaceae) in Texas.We also describe Oxyelophila callista (Forbes) feeding on at least five species of aquatic plants in Texas. Morphological and molecular characters were used to associate immatures with adults. These are the first accounts of the immature stages of U. onyxalis and the first detailed description of the immatures of O. callista, so we discuss the current classification and generic placement of these and associated species. Images and line drawings of the aquatic larvae, adults, and male and female genitalia of U. onyxalis are provided, as well as a table comparing the larval habit and morphology among genera. The current process of boiling larvae for preservation as voucher specimens and morphological study is discussed in light of current molecular techniques.

A new species of Orybina Snellen, 1895 from India (Lepidoptera, Pyralidae, Pyralinae).

The genus Orybina Snellen, 1895, a member of tribe Pyralini of the subfamily Pyralinae and family Pyralidae, was established as the objective replacement name for Oryba Walker, 1863. The original genus Oryba was established for its type species Oryba flaviplaga Walker, 1863 (by monotypy) from North Hindostan [North India]. Recently, the genus is reviewed by Qi et al. (2017) with inclusion of eight species and one subspecies in the World: Orybina kobesi Roesler, 1984, Orybina plangonalis (Walker, 1859), Orybina regalis (Leech, 1889), Orybina bellatulla Qi Li, 2017, Orybina puerensis Qi Li, 2017, Orybina hoenei Caradja, 1935, Orybina flaviplaga (Walker, 1863), Orybina imperatrix Caradja, 1925 and Orybina flaviplaga kiangsualis Caradja, 1925. The genus can be diagnosed by the rosteriform labial palpi, forewings reddish-brown or saffron, with a yellow spot (except in Orybina bellatulla). In the male genitalia uncus is triangular or tongue-shaped, and valvae are enlarged apically. In the female genitalia, the anterior apophyses and posterior apophyses are short, the ductus bursae usually coiled anteriorly, and the ovate corpus bursae is without signum (Qi et al. 2017).

Star Wars in food stores – automated detection, determination and laserelimination of insect pests

In a project supported by funds of the German government (PT BLE), we test a mobile camera system, scanning surfaces in storage warehouses or food processing industry. If insects are detected they are compared with morphological data in store to decide if the detected individual is a target pest. In case a target pest is determined with high probability, a laser beam is directed to the target to eliminate the insect by heat. The concept is to develop a system that is able to learn and identify more and more different species over time. First aims of the project are to improve reliability of species detection and identification in contrast to the grain with different light spectra and camera parameters. Reaction tests under different light conditions of the two exemplary insects grain weevil Sitophilus granarius (Col., Curculionidae) and Indianmeal moth Plodia interpunctella (Lepid., Pyralidae) will be carried out. Further the project will investigate laser beam wavelengths and intensities not damaging surfaces and items beneath or next to targets. The system could be utilized to support IPM in well-sealed structures for storage or processing of food and feed stuffs.

Salvinia molesta D.S. Mitch.

<i>Salvinia molesta</i> D.S. Mitch.

A Pyralid Moth (Lepidoptera) as Pollinator of Blunt-Leaf Orchid

A Pyralid Moth (Lepidoptera) as Pollinator of Blunt-Leaf Orchid

The complete mitogenome of Parapoynx crisonalis (Walker, 1859) (Lepidoptera: Crambidae), with phylogenetic relationships amongst three acentropine larval forms

ABSTRACTThe larvae of Parapoynx crisonalis (Walker, 1859) is an important pest in China, causing significant damage on the aquatic crops. To improve the management of P. crisonalis and demonstrate the phylogenetic relationships amongst Pyraloidea, the complete mitochondrial genome (mitogenome) sequences of four aquatic pyralid moths, which belong to three acentropine larval forms – Parapoynx-type, Nymphula-type and Potamomusa-type, and twenty-three terricolous pyralids were compared. The complete mitogenome P. crisonalis, a typical parapoynx larval species, was 15,374 base pairs in length and included 13 protein-coding genes, 22 transfer RNA genes, 2 ribosomal RNA genes and an A + T-rich region. The phylogenetic analysis revealed that all the aquatic acentropine moths formed a monophyletic clade with strong phylogenetic support via maximum likelihood and Bayesian methods with a bootstrap value of 100% and a posterior probability of 1.00. The Potamomusa-type was more closely related to the Nymphula-type than to the Parapoynx-type.

Remote sensing improves prediction of tropical montane species diversity but performance differs among taxa

Texture information from passive remote sensing images provides surrogates for habitat structure, which is relevant for modeling biodiversity across space and time and for developing effective ecological indicators. However, the applicability of this information might differ among taxa and diversity measures. We compared the ability of indicators developed from texture analysis of remotely sensed images to predict species richness and species turnover of six taxa (trees, pyraloid moths, geometrid moths, arctiinae moths, ants, and birds) in a megadiverse Andean mountain rainforest ecosystem. Partial least-squares regression models were fitted using 12 predictors that characterize the habitat and included three topographical metrics derived from a high-resolution digital elevation model and nine texture metrics derived from very high-resolution multi-spectral orthophotos. We calculated image textures derived from mean, correlation, and entropy statistics within a relatively broad moving window (102m×102m) of the near infra-red band and two vegetation indices. The model performances of species richness were taxon dependent, with the lowest predictive power for arctiinae moths (4%) and the highest for ants (78%). Topographical metrics sufficiently modeled species richness of pyraloid moths and ants, while models for species richness of trees, geometrid moths, and birds benefited from texture metrics. When more complexity was added to the model such as additional texture statistics calculated from a smaller moving window (18m×18m), the predictive power for trees and birds increased significantly from 12% to 22% and 13% to 27%, respectively. Gradients of species turnover, assessed by non-metric two-dimensional scaling (NMDS) of Bray-Curtis dissimilarities, allowed the construction of models with far higher predictability than species richness across all taxonomic groups, with predictability for the first response variable of species turnover ranging from 64% (birds) to 98% (trees) of the explained change in species composition, and predictability for the second response variable of species turnover ranging from 33% (trees) to 74% (pyraloid moths). The two NMDS axes effectively separated compositional change along the elevational gradient, explained by a combination of elevation and texture metrics, from more subtle, local changes in habitat structure surrogated by varying combinations of texture metrics. The application of indicators arising from texture analysis of remote sensing images differed among taxa and diversity measures. However, these habitat indicators improved predictions of species diversity measures of most taxa, and therefore, we highly recommend their use in biodiversity research.

Comparative study of the sex pheromone of carob moth, Apomyelois ceratoniae (Zeller, 1839) (Lepidoptera: Pyralidae) from four regions of Iran using headspace solid phase micro extraction - gas chromatography/mass spectrometry

Harnup guvesi, Apomyelois ceratoniae (Zeller, 1839) (Lepidoptera: Pyralidae) diger ulkelerde oldugu gibi Iran’da da narin en onemli zararlisidir. Zararlilarin mucadelesi icin uygun herhangi bir kimyasal yontem bulunmamaktadir. Apomyelois ceratoniae 'nin ciftlesmemis disisi tarafindan yayilan eseysel feromon bilesenleri, ust katman kati fazli mikro ekstraksiyon (HS-SPME) yontemi ile karakterize edilmis ve daha sonra gaz kromatografisi / kutle spektrometresi ile analiz edilmistir. Lepidopterlerin cogunda oldugu gibi feromon arastirmalarinda sinirlayici faktorlerden biri, salgi bezinden feromon salim oraninin dusuk olmasidir. Sonuc olarak, Iran'in dort farkli cografi bolgesindeki boceklerin cinsiyet feromon bilesenleri HS-SPME yontemiyle karsilastirmali olarak 2015 yilinda analiz edilmistir. Ana bilesen olan ( Z,E )-9,11,13-tetradekatriyenal ve iz bilesenler, ( Z,E )-9,11-tetradekadienal ve ( Z )-9-tetradekenal tanimlanmis ve referans orneklerle karsilastirilmistir. Bez cikarma ile karsilastirildiginda, HS-SPME tekniginin basitligi, feromon bilesenlerin tanimlanmasi icin uygunlugunu ortaya koymustur.

Two general odorant binding proteins display high bindings to both host plant volatiles and sex pheromones in a pyralid moth Chilo suppressalis (Lepidoptera: Pyralidae)

Odorant sensitivity and selectivity play a crucial role in insects for finding host plants, mates and oviposition sites. General odorant binding proteins (GOBPs) are thought to be involved in the detection of general odorants released by foods and host plants. However, recent studies suggest GOBPs may also play some role in detection of sex pheromones. In the present study with the rice striped stem borer Chilo suppressalis (Walker) real time quantitative PCR (qPCR) measurements showed that both GOBP genes were specifically expressed in the antennae of both sexes, proposing their important roles in olfaction. To examine their specific functions, binding affinities to three sex pheromones and 35 plant volatiles were measured using fluorescence competitive binding assays. As a result, both GOBPs showed very strong binding affinities (Ki=0.33–1.50μM) to all three sex pheromone components (Z11–16:Ald, Z9–16:Ald and Z13–18:Ald). In addition, GOBP1 and GOBP2 displayed high binding affinities (Ki<10μM) to two volatiles (farnesol and oleic acid) and five volatiles (+)-cedrol, farnesol, myrcene, β-ionone and linoleic acid), respectively; GOBP1 and GOBP2 also displayed moderate binding affinities (Ki=10–20μM) to two and one compounds, respectively. Furthermore, electroantennogram (EAG) measurements indicated that except oleic acid and myrcene, all volatiles of high binding affinity could elicit significant EAG response in moths of one or both sexes. Our study suggests that two CsupGOBPs tune to different array of plant volatiles, and also play roles in perception of the female sex pheromones, providing insights in to the mechanisms of olfaction in C. suppressalis.

Impact of carbohydrase inhibition on Habrobracon hebetor in a tritrophic diet‐host‐parasitoid system

AbstractHabrobracon hebetor Say (Hymenoptera: Braconidae) is a cosmopolitan idiobiont ectoparasitoid wasp and one of the most important biological control agents of lepidopteran larvae, especially of larvae of the family Pyralidae such as Indian meal moth, Plodia interpunctella (Hübner). Using biological control agents in combination with other pest management approaches may enhance the efficiency of pest management. Acarbose, a non‐proteinaceous inhibitor, is well known for its inhibitory effect on insect digestive carbohydrases, especially α‐amylase. In the present study the effect of the inhibitor on various physiological and biological parameters of the parasitoid H. hebetor was investigated in a diet‐host‐parasitoid tritrophic system. The inhibitor decreased α‐amylase activity in both in vitro and in vivo assays with the parasitoid; however, there was no significant impact on the biological characteristics studied. Quantification of energy reserves in host larvae and adult parasitoids revealed a dose‐dependent effect of the inhibitor on total protein, lipid, carbohydrate, and glycogen contents of the larval host, whereas total protein and carbohydrate of the parasitoid were only reduced at high inhibitor concentrations. In general, the inhibitor acarbose can interfere with some physiological processes in H. hebetor, although the parasitoid's fitness is not negatively affected. Therefore, enzyme inhibitors may be considered an effective tool for pest control in integrated pest management programs.