Age-specific survival rate and fecundity of adult Monochamus carolinensis (Coleoptera: Cerambycidae) under field conditions

Abstract

Age-specific survival rate (lx) and fecundity (mx) of Monochamus carolinensis (Olivier) adults were determined under field conditions using two caged populations, each composed of ten pairs of adults. The average longevity was 8.0 and 7.3 weeks for females and males, respectively. Oviposition marks made by females contained 0 to 4 eggs. The average number of eggs in an oviposition mark was 0.73 over a females' life span. The average potential (Σmx) and realized (Σlxmx) fecundities were estimated to be 330.6 and 249.7 eggs, respectively. A comparison of 16 populations of four Monochamus species reported so far including this study showed positive correlations between body size, longevity, and mean fecundity for adult females, suggesting that the body size is an important trait when evaluating Monochamus species as vectors of the pinewood nematode.