Reproductive biology of Palmistichus elaeisis (Hymenoptera: Eulophidae) with alternative and natural hosts

Abstract

Mass rearing of parasitoids depends on choosing appropriate alternative hosts. The objective of this study was to select alternative hosts to rear the parasitoid Palmistichus elaeisis Delvare & LaSalle, 1993 (Hymenoptera: Eulophidae). Pupae of the lepidopterans Anticarsia gemmatalis Hübner, 1818 (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae), Bombyx mori Linnaeus, 1758 (Lepidoptera: Bombycidae) and Thyrinteina arnobia (Stoll, 1782) (Lepidoptera: Geometridae) were exposed to parasitism by females of P. elaeisis. The duration of the life cycle of P. elaeisis was 21.60 ± 0.16 and 24.15 ± 0.65 days on pupae of A. gemmatalis and B. mori, respectively, with 100.0% parasitism of the pupae and 71.4 and 100.0% emergence of parasitoids from the first and second hosts, respectively. The offspring number of P. elaeisis was 511.00 ± 49.70 and 110.20 ± 19.37 individuals per pupa of B. mori and A. gemmatalis, respectively. The reproduction of P. elaeisis from pupae of T. arnobia after six generations was similar to the other hosts.