Feasibility mass rearing of predatory stink bug, Andrallus spinidens Fabricius on Plodia interpunctella Hübner larva under laboratory conditions: Linking life table and predation rate

The predatory stink bug, Andrallus spinidens Fabricius, is a common natural enemy in Northern paddy fields of Iran. In the current study, life table parameters and consumption rate of A. spinidens fed on Plodia interpunctella Hübner larvae were determined under laboratory conditions. The evaluations were based on age-stage, two sex life table using TWOSEX and CONSUME-MSChart theories. According to obtained results, the total immature developmental times were 23.39±0.23 and 23.66±0.29 days for male and female, respectively. The adult pre-oviposition period (APOP) and total pre-oviposition period (TPOP) were evaluated to be 7.46±0.21 and 31.07±0.41 day, respectively. The intrinsic rate of increase (r), finite rate of increase (λ), net reproductive rate (R0), and mean generation time (T) were 0.136±0.004 day-1, 1.146±0.005 day-1, 188.52±26.61 offspring/individual and 38.54±0.49 day, respectively. The mean predation rate of total nymphal stage of the predator was 21.70±0.80 P. interpunctella larvae. Furthermore, the predation rate for female nymphs was significantly higher than male nymphal stage. Female and male adults of A. spinidens consumed 101.93±5.32 and 96.43±4.8 P. interpunctella larvae, respectively. In addition, the net predation rate (C0) of the total life span for A. spinidens was 104.32±6.22 P. interpunctella larvae per predator. The transformation rate (Qp) showed that A. spinidens consumed 0.55 P. interpunctella larvae to produce one viable egg. According to life table and predation parameters, it seems that the larvae of P. interpunctella might be a suitable intermediate prey for rearing this predator.