Palmistichus elaeisis (Hymenoptera: Eulophidae) rearing in Tenebrio molitor (Coleoptera: Tenebrionidae) submitted to different diets*

Abstract

The ecological, physiological and behavioral processes of insects are linked to their nutrition. The diet of host insects can modify the development of natural enemies and affect their reproductive performance. The objective of this work was to evaluate the development and reproduction of Palmistichus elaeisis Delvare & LaSalle, 1993 (Hymenoptera: Eulophidae) parasitizing pupae of Tenebrio molitor Linnaeus, 1785 (Coleoptera: Tenebrionidae) rearing in different diets. Pupae of T. molitor generated in six different diets (wheat bran, cornmeal, pelleted feed for rabbits, and bran, pelleted or crushed feed for laying hens) were individually placed in plastic pots and exposed to parasitism by six females of P. elaeisis during 72 h. The biological variables of P. elaeisis were observed and bromatological analyses were performed with pupae of T. molitor and the diets used. The percentage of parasitism and emergency was 100% in all treatments. There was no difference in the life cycle, the offspring number and longevity of the parasitoid. Pupae of T. molitor obtained from larvae fed with cornmeal were smaller and generated P. elaeisis offspring with low sex ratio and shorter length of the tibia. The T. molitor diet based on cornmeal was not suitable for the reproduction of P. elaeisis in the laboratory.