Can the factitious host, Corcyra cephalonica (Stainton, 1863) (Lepidoptera: Pyralidae), replace the natural host for Telenomus remus Nixon, 1937 (Hymenoptera: Scelionidae) rearing, egg parasitoid of Spodoptera complex (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) in laboratory conditions?

Abstract The Spodoptera complex (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) includes eight species in Brazil, some of which are major pests of maize, soybean, and cotton, particularly Spodoptera frugiperda (J.E. Smith, 1797). Control methods rely on agrochemicals and genetically modified plants, but these approaches are only partially effective and sometimes, if wrongly used, fail to meet sustainability standards. A viable alternative is biological control using the egg parasitoid Telenomus remus Nixon, 1937 (Hymenoptera: Scelionidae), studied in Brazil since the 1980s. Large-scale implementation requires mass production of insects, but using S. frugiperda as a natural host requires isolation of individuals to prevent cannibalism. To resolve this problem, factitious hosts such as Corcyra cephalonica (Stainton, 1863) (Lepidoptera: Pyralidae) have been evaluated for mass rearing of T. remus. This study determined the efficiency of C. cephalonica as a host for two T. remus populations, one with genetic variability and one without (isoline), and assessed their parasitism on S. frugiperda, S. eridania (Stöll, 1782), and S. cosmioides (Walker, 1858), using fertility life tables. The results indicated that the factitious host C. cephalonica can replace the natural host for rearing both populations of T. remus. Parasitism behavior varied: isoline wasps primarily parasitized S. eridania, with lower parasitism on S. frugiperda and S. cosmioides; whereas wasps from the genetically variable population preferred S. frugiperda, followed by S. eridania, with the lowest parasitism on S. cosmioides.