Suitability ofScapteriscus moles crickets [Ort.: Gryllotalpidae] as hosts ofEuphasiopteryx depleta [Dipt.: Tachinidae]

Abstract

Euphasiopteryx depleta (Wied) flies successfully developed in the mole crickets Scapteriscus borellii Giglio-Tos and Scapteriscus vicinus Scudder, as well as in the short-tailed cricket, Anurogryllus sp., after artificially placing larvae under their pronota. Using this technique, no relation was found between the number of larvae placed on each cricket and the resulting number of puparia obtained from the cricket. In all cases, the number of flies emerging from the puparia was small, with females failing to mature reproductively. As E. depleta has been reared from field collected Scapteriscus spp., the exact reasons for lack of maturation remain unknown. Anurogryllus sp. can be considered a probable alternate host for E. depleta.