Factors Influencing the Developmental Rates and Reproductive Potentials ofTelenomus busseolae(Gahan) [Hym.: Scelionidae], an Egg Parasitoid ofSesamia calamistisHampson (Lep.: Noctuidae)

The effect of seven constant temperatures on the development ofTelenomus busseolaewas determined, usingSesamia calamistiseggs as the host. The developmental threshold calculated was 13.7°C, the optimum temperature was 31°C, and the maximum temperature at which no parasitoid emergence occurred was 34°C. FemaleT. busseolaebegan ovipositing immediately after emergence. They produced more offspring during the first 24 h of adult life than during any subsequent period. At 20°C, adult females lived twice as long as those at 30°C (21.7 and 11.0 days, respectively). Total progeny ofT. busseolaewas significantly highest at 27°C. Mean fecundity ranged from 61 to 182 offspring per female. The effect of host age and host deprivation on the host parasitism rate, egg viability, and sex ratio ofT. busseolaewas also investigated. Only parasitism and emergence rates were affected by host age. The numbers of total progeny were the same between 0 and 10 days of host deprivation, whereas longevity tended to increase from 12.8 to 23.4 days from 0 to 14 days of withholding hosts. The percentage parasitoid emergence and the sex ratio were not affected by withholding hosts.T. busseolaeis adapted to an ecosystem with strong environmental fluctuations that cause temporary scarcity of hosts and food.