A Comparative Study of the Feeding Habits of Tribolium freemani Hinton and Tribolium castaneum (Herbst)(Coleoptera:Tenebrionidae)

Abstract

The feeding habits of Tribolium freemani Hinton (FR) and T. castaneum (Herbst) (CS) were compared by examining growth and development on 23 food media of plant and animal origin at 30°C and 70% R.H. Survival rate (S) and developmental period (T) from egg hatch to adult emergence, and weight and fertility (E) of emerged adult females were measured. Howe’s parameters, (1n S)/T and (1n S • E)/T, were used as indices of food suitability. The most suitable medium for FR was a fungus, Alternaria alternata on which survival rate was highest (100%) and the most fecund adults emerged. FR generally developed well on cereal seeds (rice, wheat and corn) and their products. Wheat flour was a poor medium for development of FR and the adults which emerged from the medium did not lay eggs. Wheat flour supplemented with yeast, however, was the second best medium for FR, and larvae developed the fastest on this medium (28.9 days in median). Among the leguminous seeds examined, a few FR larvae could complete development on winged bean, but they, could not develop on soybean, peanuts or adzuki bean. Sunflower seed was a suitable medium but acorns of Japanese chestnut oak and raisins were unsuitable for development. FR could hardly develop on honeycomb. Pupae of silkworm were fairly suitable but dried sardine was not. The feeding habits of FR were similar to those of CS. The results indicated that FR as well as CS was omnivorous. © 1991, JAPANESE SOCIETY OF APPLIED ENTOMOLOGY AND ZOOLOGY. All rights reserved.