Demography of Habrobracon hebetor (Hymenoptera: Braconidae) on two pyralid hosts (Lepidoptera: Pyralidae)

Abstract

Demography of Habrobracon hebetor (Say) (Hymenoptera: Braconidae) on two pyralid host species [Galleria mellonella (L.) and Ephestia kuehniella Zeller] (Lepidoptera: Pyralidae) was studied at 28°C in the laboratory. Data were analyzed based on an age-stage, two-sex life table, to take both sexes and variable development into consideration. The intrinsic rate of increase (r), finite rate of increase (λ), net reproductive rate (R0), gross reproductive rate (GRR), and mean generation time (T) of H. hebetor on G. mellonella were 0.1520 d-1, 1.1640 d-1, 12.5 offspring, 50.1 offspring, and 16.8 d, respectively. These values were not significantly different from the values obtained for E. kuehniella, i.e., 0.1375 d-1, 1.1473 d-1, 11.9 offspring, 54.9 offspring, and 18.2 d. The life expectancy of an H. hebetor egg was 10.6 d on E. kuehniella and 10.4 d on G. mellonella. On both host species, the maximum reproductive value of female H. hebetor occurred on the 12th day. © 2006 Entomological Society of America.