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Pakistan Journal of Biological Sciences

Year: 2002 | Volume: 5 | Issue: 9 | Page No.: 923-930
DOI: 10.3923/pjbs.2002.923.930
Study on Fecundity, Reproductive Rate, Intrinsic Rate of Increase and Effects of Diets on Adult Longevity, of a Long-tailed Mealybug, Pseudococcus longispinus (Targioni-Tozzetti) Parasitoid, Leptomastix nr. epona (Walker)
Haque N.M. Mozaddedul and M.J. W. Copland

Abstract: A life table was constructed for a new undescribed mealybug wasp, Leptomastix nr. epona, and effects of different feeding regimes were evaluated. Parasitoids with access to 50% honey solution had the longest life span and no significant differences were observed when fed on honeydew as well. Females lived significantly longer than males in all the treatments. Survival of male and female L. nr. epona fed on honey solution ranged from 10 to 39 and 29 to 61 days respectively. Potential fecundity of the two ages of parasitoid varied significantly with the size of parasitoid. Larger parasitoids had a higher number of eggs than the smaller ones. The gross reproductive rate (GRR), was 42.44 eggs/female/generation and net reproductive rate (Ro), was 28.02 females/female/generation. The intrinsic rate of increase (rm), was 0.105 eggs/female/day. The mean generation was, 31.68 days and doubling time of the population was, 6.59 days. The mean fecundity reached a peak during the first 14 days and then started to decrease. The female proportion of the offspring produced in the life times of the parasitoid, L. nr. epona is half (0.54) of the total progeny and seems to be under the control of the female during her lifetime.

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How to cite this article
Haque N.M. Mozaddedul and M.J. W. Copland, 2002. Study on Fecundity, Reproductive Rate, Intrinsic Rate of Increase and Effects of Diets on Adult Longevity, of a Long-tailed Mealybug, Pseudococcus longispinus (Targioni-Tozzetti) Parasitoid, Leptomastix nr. epona (Walker). Pakistan Journal of Biological Sciences, 5: 923-930.

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