Biological characteristics of Telenomus remus against Spodoptera frugiperda and Spodoptera litura eggs

Biological characteristics of Telenomus remus against Spodoptera frugiperda and Spodoptera litura eggs

In July 2019, we found a species of egg parasitoid wasp emerged from Spodoptera frugiperda eggs collected in southeast of Guizhou province. This parasitoid species was identified by molecular method as Telenomus remus. To test the parasitic efficacy of T. remus against S. frugiperda and S. litura eggs, we investigated the parasitic rates, offspring number per host eggs, body size, and male ratio of T. remus on S. frugiperda or S. litura eggs. The results showed that the parasitic rates of eggs reached at least 95% regardless of S. frugiperda or S. litura eggs. T. remus offspring emerged from S. frugiperda eggs showed larger body size and lower offspring number per host egg than those emerged from S. litura eggs. Our results revealed that T. remus is an potentially effective biological control agent against S. frugiperda, and S. litura eggs are the potential alternative host for the mass rearing of T. remus. This study will supply a primary reference for the application of T. remus against S. frugiperda.