Reproductive capacity of Diadromus subtilicornus (Hymenoptera: Ichneumonidae), a pupal parasitoid of the diamondback moth, Plutella xylostella (Lepidoptera: Plutellidae).

Pupae of the diamondback moth were exposed to the ichneumonid, Diadromus subtilicornus, in test tubes at 25°C, 14L-10D. The exposed hosts were reared under the same conditions to determine the number and the sex of the wasp′s progenies. The mean number of progenies per female was 85 and the sex ratio (proportion of the females) was 0.425. The mean longevity of the mother wasps was 40 days. The net reproduction rate (R0), the mean length of a generation (T) and the intrinsic rate of natural increase (r) were estimated to be 34.85, 31.18 days and 0.118/female/day respectively.