Biocontrol performance and mass production potential of the larval endoparasitoid Campoletis chlorideae Uchida (Hymenoptera: Ichneumonidae) against the fall armyworm, Spodoptera frugiperda (J. E. Smith) (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae)

Background The fall armyworm (FAW) , Spodoptera frugiperda (J. E. Smith) (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae), is an aggressive pest species that causes severe economic losses in outbreak regions. Use of FAW natural enemies, particularly native parasitoids, has been suggested as a promising control strategy. Campoletis chlorideae Uchida (Hymenoptera: Ichneumonidae) is a solitary ichneumonid larval endoparasitoid with a broad host range that includes S. frugiperda . However, its parasitism rate, developmental stages, and population dynamics during parasitization of S. frugiperda remain unclear. A field survey was conducted to determine the emergence rate and sex ratio of C. chlorideae , evaluated the biological control performance, and investigated the production potential of it on the individually reared and group-reared S. frugiperda through age-stage, two-sex life tables, respectively. Results The results showed that C. chlorideae parasitizing individually reared FAW resulted for the parasitoid in a lifetime total fecundity ( F ) of 301.5 ± 16.4 eggs/female, a net reproduction rate ( R 0 ) of 62.03 ± 9.07 adult females/female, an overall life span of females of 28.3 ± 0.52 days, and an intrinsic rate of increase ( r ) of 0.1946 ± 0.0076 day −1 . In contrast, the parameters of F , R 0 , overall life span of females, and r were 87.71 ± 6.32 pupae/female, 6.02 ± 1.61 adult females/female, 25.21 ± 0.79 days, and 0.0918 ± 0.0148 day −1 in group-reared S. frugiperda . Conclusions This study suggests that C . chlorideae has a promising biological control potential against S . frugiperda . Future research should focus on developing methods to increase the production of C . chlorideae .